First Osprey nesting pair in Switzerland in 112 years

Osprey: first nesting in Switzerland in 112 years Keystone-SDA

Eleven years after the launch of a project to reintroduce the osprey in Switzerland, a pair of these migratory birds has returned to nest for the first time since 1914.

Three chicks hatched in the spring between May 25 and 29, reveals Wendy Strahm, coordinator of the reintroduction project run by the association Nos Oiseaux, formerly the Romandy Society for the Study and Protection of Birds. The exact location of the nest, situated in the region of the lakes of Neuchâtel, Bienne and Morat, will not be disclosed.

The last documented breeding of the osprey in Switzerland dates back 112 years. The species subsequently disappeared completely due to poachers and egg collectors.

Once they reach adulthood, at around three to four years of age, Ospreys instinctively return to breed in the region where they first took flight.

Between 2015 and 2020,66 chicks were imported from nests, mainly in Norway and Germany. Housed in aviaries, they were reared without any direct contact with humans.

All three chicks survived

This method of translocation – the movement of animals or plants from one place to another as part of species conservation projects – has already proven its effectiveness in other parts of Europe since 1996. A male marked with a numbered ring returned to nest in the Three Lakes region of the Western Plateau. The female, which is unringed, is of unknown origin.

The pair had already been spotted in the summer of 2025, when the female was still immature. After spending the winter apart in Africa, the two birds of prey returned. As hoped, they have taken up residence in the nest identified in 2025, situated on one of the thirty platforms set up in the Three Lakes region by the association’s volunteers. The female laid her first egg on April 19.

Such a success on the very first attempt is exceptional, all the more so as the spring turned out to be particularly cold and rainy. Two females and one male survived.

The next crucial stage for the young ospreys will be their migration to Africa, which is expected to take place by the end of the month. According to statistics, the mortality rate among young migrants reaches 80%.

Nos Oiseaux also hopes that the first pair of ospreys to return to breed in Switzerland since 1914 will return again in 2027.

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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.