Trout farm has birdwatchers hooked – on ospreys stealing £20,000 worth of fish every year
- Fish farm in Leicestershire had £20,000 worth of stock eaten by birds every year
- The company decided to set up a photography hide to watch the birds instead
- The farm expects up to 600 photographers to have visited by the end of the year
Few sights are more spectacular than an osprey plucking an unsuspecting trout from the water, as these breathtaking pictures show.
But raids like this were proving expensive for the owners of Horn Mill Trout Farm in Leicestershire, with £20,000 worth of stock snatched by predators every year.
Farm manager Jamie Weston, 46, said: ‘It got to a point where the business wasn’t viable, so we started to net some of the ponds.’
Few sights are more spectacular than an osprey plucking an unsuspecting trout from the water, as these breathtaking pictures show
But following a call from Dr Tim Mackrill, of the Rutland Osprey Project, the farm left one of its six ponds uncovered to allow fishing access for struggling ospreys.
Mr Weston said: ‘The project set up a photography hide and gradually more and more ospreys have come back.’ And with them has come an unexpected revenue source.
The farm expects up to 600 photographers to have visited by the end of the year, paying £75 each – more than compensating for the loss of fish.
Wildlife photographer Gary Jones, 52, from Buckley, North Wales, who captured these stunning images, said: ‘I just love the extreme challenge of photographing my favourite birds diving to catch fish.’
The farm expects up to 600 photographers to have visited by the end of the year, paying £75 each – more than compensating for the loss of fish