The ospreys have landed – on Mars

Four of Scotland’s best-loved ‘celebrity’ birds of prey have landed on Mars, it has been revealed.

Loch Arkaig 'celebrity' ospreys Louis and Aila and their chicks Mallie and Rannoch have had their names etched on special chips inside Nasa's Perseverance rover, making the birds the first of their kind to land on Mars when the mission touched down on the red planet earlier this month

It’s thought the family of ospreys, from a nest at Loch Arkaig in the Highlands, are the first of their kind to reach the red planet.

Although known for their long-distance flying abilities, the ospreys didn’t actually travel 34 million miles across outer space under their own steam.

They hitched a ride - or at least their names did - aboard NASA’s Perseverance mission, which successfully touched down on 18 February after a seven-month voyage.

The unusual flight came about after the birds, whose antics are broadcast to wildlife fans across the UK and beyond via a camera at their nest, were nominated to join the mission by a loyal follower.

Linda Keene, of Cumbernauld, is a keen viewer of the nestcam footage and couldn’t resist putting the names of the birds - dad Louis, mum Aila and their chicks Mallie and Rannoch - forward when Nasa invited people to suggest candidates to have their names etched inside the Perseverance rover.

“I am a big fan of our beloved Aila and Louis,” she said.

“They go through all kinds of adversity and I worry about the chicks surviving and Aila getting attacked on the nest and the eggs being eaten.

“Like lots of ardent fans I put in night shifts watching.

“I thought of the Mars Rover going through so much to achieve its goals at that time and thought our wonderful ospreys have such amazing goals to achieve in their lives just to survive.

“They are simply amazing and their names should be onboard together with their weans.”

The mission blasted off in summer 2020 and in the last few days the Perseverance Rover has reached the surface of Mars with the osprey names amongst those etched on special chips inside.

George Anderson, of Woodland Trust Scotland, said: “The Loch Arkaig ospreys became very famous last year when they became a lockdown hit with people stuck at home desperate to connect with nature.

“We never thought their fame would stretch as far away as another planet though.

“We are very touched that Linda has celebrated the birds in this way.”

Ospreys were extinct in the UK for much of the 20th century.

The species began to recover in the 1960s, and now an estimated 300 pairs of ospreys breed here – mostly in Scotland – each summer.

The birds migrate to West Africa during winter, flying up to 270 miles a day.

The usually hook up with the same mate each year when they return for the breeding season.

The nestcam at Loch Arkaig Pine Forest is supported by players of People's Postcode Lottery.

It is currently offline – while Louis and Aila are in Africa – but will go live in the middle of next month, ahead of their expected return to in early April.

The pair raised their first chick, Lachlan, in 2017.

In 2018 the nest failed after a pine marten raided the eggs.

Mallie and Rannoch were hatched in 2019, followed by Doddie, Vera and Captain in 2020 – watched by a virtual audience of nearly 400,000 people.

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