The buzzard is seen swooping down after the mother left the nest at Lochter, then stealing one of the two chicks.
It was filmed by local businessman Euan Webster, who described it as “a shocking act” which showed action was needed to control buzzards.
However, RSPB Scotland said it had been a “perfectly natural, isolated predation incident”. Will this organisation also be making similar calls for the control of ospreys because one has been filmed catching a fish?”
Remains, which were believed to be the chick’s body, were later recovered near the nest.
Douglas McAdam, chief executive of Scottish Land and Estates, said: “This video provides the sad but clear and conclusive evidence of the serious impact that this growing population of buzzards is now having.
“The time has surely come for common sense to prevail and for measures to be introduced to be able to properly protect these wild birds and other species that we value so highly.”
RSPB Scotland spokesman James Reynolds said: “Ospreys are doing spectacularly well as a breeding bird in Scotland, and have increased their population considerably in recent years.
“Indeed, territorial nesting pairs are now beginning to establish themselves south of the border in England as a result of their steadily improving conservation status in Scotland.
“One perfectly natural, isolated predation incident by another bird of prey is not going to change that.
“This should not be used as a foundation to demonise buzzards, and it certainly should not be used as an attempt to justify controlling a protected species.
“By the same logic, will this organisation also be making similar calls for the control of ospreys because one has been filmed catching a fish?”
Take a look at a fantastic osprey cam here from Latvia, the nest now containes three chicks, the smallest is less than one week old. Despite having a larger buzzard population than the UK, there have been no problem with buzzards in Latvia attacking any ospreys or taking their young from the nest.
We recall a sequence of film shot by Walt Disney many years ago of a wolverine (the largest member of the weasel family) climbing to an osprey nest where it killed all the chicks in the nest. What was significant, the adult ospreys consistently were seen to attack the wolverine despite its ferocious reputation in an attempt to defend their young.
Several questions have to be asked here – Did the owner have a license to film this bird? Will SNH be making a court case if not? Ospreys want 360 degree view of any predator coming towards the nest. This female never saw the Buzzard until it was on her. This was a man made nest made by the estate? There were no alarms or even a second osprey close by. Was the female pushed from the nest by the camera man? Was the Buzzard a trained falconers bird? What is needed is a full video of this breeding attempt or was the camera only put up to capture this single event?
The big picture is required here, this footage is open to skullduggery
Anythings possible I guess given the crowd involved – of course the SGA is jumping all over it. Mr Hog seems very upset – in stark contrast to his silence on the faith of Hen Harriers and Golden Eagles in the Scottish Highlands.
Editor’s Comment. Having contacted the Lochter Activity Centre we are informed an HD camera was installed over-looking the nesting platform in January 2011 (no licence required). The images are only relayed to the nearby restaurant for all the visitors to watch, this it seems brings in more paying customers. What is also interesting, the information so far published about the incident states the pictures were taken by a Mr Euan Webster. Bearing in mind we are advised the sequence of the attacking buzzard was taken during the evening, was a different camera used other than the static one over-looking the nest? If so how close and where was Mr Webster standing? Was a licence obtained?
Take a look at a fantastic osprey cam here from Latvia (http://pontu.eenet.ee/player/kalakotkas.html), the nest now containes three chicks, the smallest is less than one week old. Despite having a larger buzzard population than the UK, there have been no problem with buzzards in Latvia attacking any ospreys or taking their young from the nest.
We recall a sequence of film shot by Walt Disney many years ago of a wolverine (the largest member of the weasel family) climbing to an osprey nest where it killed all the chicks in the nest. What was significant, the adult ospreys consistently were seen to attack the wolverine despite its ferocious reputation in an attempt to defend their young.
Euan Webster appears to be the landowner who erected the camera.
”an HD camera was installed over-looking the nesting platform in January 2011 (no licence required)”
Why is no licence required, it is still photography at a nest.
The sound of equipment could put birds off.
Editor’s Comment: The photography of schedule 1 nests when occupied is straight forward. If a camera is installed at any schedule 1 nesting site out of season which then relays images back to a remote recorder when the site is occupied, no disturbance is caused or other wise the birds would not nest there. However, anyone who then visits the camera during the breeding season for example to repair a fault must first obtain a licence. Anyone can take images of a schedule 1 nest during the breeding season, provided NO reckless disturbance is intended or caused. A good example of this is the RSPB Loch Garten ospreys which over the last 40 years have been photographed by hundreds of thousands of visitors from the hides provided.
The big picture…buzzard takes osprey chick. Thats life, so what? No surprises its nature.
With all of this bad publicity with regard to, in particular Buzzards at the moment, I am very sad and somewhat upset by the lack of response to the Vicarious Liability e-petition and the apathy plus lack of support that it has received. This was a chance to show the government how we feel but it seems that only a minority even care or have bothered to support it, even the link on Raptor Politics has dissapeared, WHY??????.
I have spent years looking after and fighting for birds of prey and have wholeheartedly supported others when asked to do so because I believe in what I do, now it seems that the very thing that I had such high hopes for will fail and show that in fact most people couldn’t care less.
My biggest dissapointment is with the RSPB who after promising to support the e-petition and telling me the signature target would be reached have done very little if nothing. It is no good moaning about the plight of our wonderful raptors if we are not prepared to stand up and be counted, valuable time has now been lost and it seems likely that the e-petition will fail due to the apathy that surrounds it, the link to it on this site was a valuable tool but it seems that even RP have deserted it now.
Editor’s comment. Hi Chrissie after RP was attacked by hackers some weeks ago, it became difficult to reinstall the link to the e-petition. However I will contact our IT section and see if anything at this late stage can be done to reinstate the link/
The big picture has been viewed by myself and many others visitors on this live cam to the restaurant at Lochter for the last few months. Im not sure what kind of skulduggery there could be.
There are a silly amount of buzzards in this area, many species are suffering badly!
“There are a silly amount of buzzards in this area”.
Can we have a citation for this statement? And an intelligent, scientific definition of the phrase?
Most species are suffering badly because there are ” A silly amount of People everywhere” ruining it for any wildlife.
I agree with Coop’s comments,Mr. Robert’s comments are ridiculous and there is nothing scientific about them, when you have been involved with the persecution of raptors you will know that some raptor haters will do anything to prove a point and try and verify their cause.
If there is a ‘silly amount’ of buzzards around Lochter it must be because there is a ‘silly amount’ of food for them to eat (surely they can’t all survive on osprey chicks). If this situation is distressing to the Estate perhaps they need to look to their own interference in the environment as a cause of the silliness. Or better still just stop being silly altogether.
Perhaps we should recall that ospreys vanished as breeding birds in the UK because of people, not buzzards (or any other animal species).
Editor’s Comment. The points you have made in the above comments are excellent, thank you.
Unfortunately,the lobby being directed against raptors base all their arguements upon outdated prejudice, bigotry, selfishness and ignorance. These people will not be happy until they have returned the situation in our country back to that which existed in the Victorian era. They have no concept of the very presence raptors have brought back to the natural environment in which we all live. There could be no better miracle than that which man has achieved, returning extinct species like the white-tailed eagle, osprey and red kite back into our country where they belong. We can only hope that common sense prevails allowing such species to grace our skys, glens, loch, mountains and moorlands for future generations of forward looking people to admire and appreciate.
“Perhaps we should recall that ospreys vanished as breeding birds in the UK because of people”
Yep, “people” like Brian Roberts.
The main prey of the Buzzard is rabbit which cause £200 million damage each year to agriculture, horticulture and private gardens. This would make the Buzzard welcome by 99% of the people in this country. But as Chrissie points out the majority of this number do not shout out for the protection of the Buzzard or any other Birds of Prey. ‘You do not know what you have lost until it has gone’.