I still remember, after all these decades, the first time I saw an osprey swoop into the water and catch a pike right in front of my eyes.
My cousin and I were trolling for pike on a remote wilderness lake almost half a century ago. At that time, it was a rare bird of prey in those regions, because the appearance of a 'fish robber' too close to a person was not always considered good. The experience left an indelible mark on the boy who was in his second decade. I decided at that time that one day I would capture another great photo of such a situation.
Decades passed. Nature photography had completely hooked me, in addition to fishing, hunting and other activities in nature. Eagles, woodpeckers and harriers, as well as large carnivores, were recorded on slides and later on memory cards, but osprey predation was not. In hindsight, the random gatherings of gnats at the edge of the reeds were doomed. Predatory images seemed to be a melting impossibility.
Time passed without a single osprey picture, until ten years ago the pieces suddenly fell into place. I was in Scotland on a photography trip when I unexpectedly had the opportunity to spend a few early morning hours in a osprey hide in the heart of the highlands. In a few moments I was completely sold. Weasels came to the small pond to prey as if out of nowhere. There were about ten attacks in a couple of hours, and the successful photos remained as a memory of that unique moment.
After returning home, I immediately started thinking about whether such a filming location could also work in my home region in Pohjois-Savo. After ruling out numerous different options, what remained were Tervo and Huuhtajankoski, which had long traditions in fish farming. The location almost in the middle of Finland was also an excellent thing. On top of all that, the osprey population in the Nilaka area would be good enough for this purpose, according to tire operators. To my great joy, the supervisors of Luke's fish farming facility at the time did not suppress my ideas, but gave me the opportunity to try filming.
The first experiments at the facility were promising. The actual oasis was established the following year, well apart from the actual fish breeding ponds. The minnows found new fish holes in a few weeks and started preying on the oasis. The photos of fishing maggots in a natural environment were a fact.
The following year, the experiment was continued, utilizing the lessons learned from the previous summer, and the number of attacks gradually increased. At the same time, the attacks in the actual plant area decreased. Everything looked good. It was time to take a decisive step to start a company. The Osprey Oasis of Tervo was established and more hides were built. The website was ordered for marketing and information purposes.
The, out of the blue, Luke's fish farming facility in Huuhtaja had to be closed completely due to the IHN virus and the entire area was quarantined. At the same time, the access to the oasis was also closed and the whole operation had to be stopped. However, I didn't want to bury the idea because I believed in it then and I still believe in it. The period of quiet life got longer because the new ownership arrangements of the fish farm will take a few years.
Finally, a new opportunity came a little over a year ago. A new and even better oasis was established nearby with the help of a former earthmoving professional. The fish was obtained from the facility and partly directly from nature. Best of all, the gnats learn to prey in a few weeks in a pond made for them. They didn't care about the photo hides brought to the edges of the oasis. There were 10-15 attacks during the day at their best in August. It is to be expected that after new osprey individuals are found in the oasis, the number of attacks will only increase.
After decades of waiting, pictures of seagulls plunging into the water have started to come in at a steady pace. Best of all, now this experience is available to everyone else.
Welcome to the Osprey Oasis of Tervo!