Osprey Colonisation of the Scottish Borders
Tony Lightley
CHARLES MORRISON MEMORIAL LECTURE
Tuesday, 11th March 2025
Eastgate Theatre, Peebles, 7.30 p.m.
Tony Lightley’s interest in ospreys was aroused when he looked to the skies in March and April each year and wondered why were all these birds were passing through the area to breed much further North. The Scottish Borders provide the perfect habitat for them: plentiful fishing opportunities in productive clean rivers, lochs and game fisheries, numerous forested areas for nesting sites, and very little recreational and agricultural disturbance at that time.
In this talk, Tony will explain how ospreys were attracted to the area, the effects of the birds being here, and where we are now with the osprey population
Tony Lightley was a mechanic in the coal mines of Northumberland for 17 years before moving on to become a sales and service engineer for a hydraulics company, working on oil and gas platforms, power stations and petro chemical plants.
Deciding it was time for a change in direction, Tony spent a year at Elmwood college and finally began work with the Forestry Commission in 1991.