May 6, 2022
The first ospreys have arrived in Lapland! The osprey nest web camera in Muonio allows us to observe the life and nesting of osprey in real time throughout the nesting season until autumn. We obtained the web camera in Muonio in cooperation with the Finnish Osprey Foundation, and we have ordered an image server that will provide a more secure connection to the camera. Follow this link to monitor all four osprey nests with web cameras installed by the Finnish Osprey Foundation: https://www.saaksisaatio.fi/saaksikamerat/saaksikamerakollaasi.
The osprey is believed to have been a sacred bird to the ancient Finns, but it is also a cosmopolitan bird with subspecies encountered in different parts of the world. Finnish ospreys winter mainly in West Africa.
Back in the day, the osprey was considered a competitor to fishers, and there was a bounty on its head. When the osprey population declined, the species was protected first with a decree and later with a law. The nest and nesting tree of an osprey are also protected. Since then, environmental toxins have affected nesting of the species, but today, the Finnish osprey population is robust. Long-term conservation requires annual monitoring of the nesting population, undisturbed nesting locations, and trees suitable for nesting.
We want to participate in the protection of this magnificent bird as part of our measures to promote biodiversity. It is fascinating to observe the nesting and life of an osprey couple in Lappish summer.
Photo: Heikki Kainulainen
Source: Finnish Osprey Foundation