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Pet parrot begins mimicking ospreys
“We have had the website on so much Sailor has started to mimic the pleading cry Aila makes."
Habit picked up after watching online footage of osprey nest

A pet parrot has begun to mimic the call of an osprey after her owners started watching online footage of a nest in the Scottish Highlands.

Sailor, a 24-year-old African grey parrot, lives in Yorkshire with her owners Stuart and Sue Brannen, who became hooked on live footage of a pair of ospreys, Aila and Louis.

The nest is at Loch Arkaig Forest in Lochaber, which was recently purchased by the Woodland Trust Scotland, in partnership with Arkaig Community Forest. The nest camera is solar powered and will capture live footage throughout the summer.

Retired merchant seaman Stuart Brannen, 70, said: “We have had the website on so much Sailor has started to mimic the pleading cry Aila makes when she wants Louis to feed her. It is remarkable! If you are in the other room you can’t tell if it is the osprey or the parrot making the noise.”

George Anderson of Woodland Trust Scotland added: “It seems our nest cam has brought a real call of the wild into people’s homes. Aside from Sailor we have heard there is a budgie somewhere which also thinks it’s an osprey now!”

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Cold-water dip to raise funds for Vetlife

News Story 1
 The veterinary mental health charity Vetlife is inviting the veterinary community to join it for a sponsored cold-water dip.

The event will take place at Walpole Bay, Margate, on 17 May during Mental Health Awareness Week. Participants of all abilities can join in the challenge and are advised to bring a towel, a hot drink, a snack, and warm clothes to get changed into afterwards.

Those taking part are being asked to try to raise £100 each to support the work of the charity.

Details about how to take part can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue low vector period ends

In an update to its bluetongue guidance, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the seasonal low vector period for the disease has ended.

With winter over, Defra is planning for a possible increase in cases as midges become more active. It has warned that farms along the east coast of England from Norfolk to Kent, and along the south coast from Kent to Devon, are at highest risk from infected midges blown over from northern Europe.

Since the virus was detected in England in November 2023, there have been 126 confirmed cases. The most recent case to be confirmed was on 1 March 2024.

Farmers are asked to continue to frequently monitor their livestock and ensure their animals and land are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.