Ospreys were probably widespread across Britain in the past, especially before the huge land-drainage schemes in the 17th century which removed much of their inland habitat.

There were probably between 500 and 1,000 pairs in Britain, but shooting and egg-collecting increased during the 19th century, and the population crashed. The last English ospreys bred in Gloucestershire in 1840 and, after the final pair nested in Argyll in 1916, they were gone from Scotland too.

The return of ospreys as breeding birds in Britain is one of the most famous conservation success stories in the UK. There are now around 130 pairs in Scotland, having increased from a single pair which bred at Loch Garten in 1954. Their numbers increased slowly during the 1960s and 1970s, with local bird watchers watching their nests and keeping the locations a closely guarded secret.

Ospreys now breed in suitable areas across northern and central Scotland. Thanks to the protection efforts, there are now more ospreys in Britain than for more than a century, though they remain a rare species and must continue to be protected.

An experiment by Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and Anglian Water to reintroduce Ospreys to Central England seems to be proving successful, with the result that you can also see wild ospreys at Rutland Water . .

Artificial nests and nest-platforms have been built at other nature reserves in England in the hope of attracting ospreys on their return migration. This technique has been used, with great success, in North America and Scotland.