Breeding Ospreys have returned to Ireland following a 240-year absence. A pair of Osprey’s successfully reared and fledged at least two chicks from a nesting site in Co. Fermanagh during 2023. Coinciding with this success, a five-year Osprey reintroduction programme kicked off in August – The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) releasing two of fifty Osprey chicks into the wild in Co. Waterford. Though migrating Ospreys are often observed stopping off in Ireland to fish (e.g. at Osprey Rock at Loch Lein) on the lakes of Killarney en route to and from wintering habitats in West Africa, no recent breeding has been witnessed in Ireland until now!
