On April 24 a very motivated team built Switzerland’s first ever offshore Osprey platform on a wooden pole, in a strictly protected area along the south shore of the lake of Neuchâtel. This new platform compensated the loss of a natural nest built by Olympe (F28), blown down by violent winds in October 2025. Less than two hours after construction was completed (quite a serious challenge, as neolithic lake dwellers* would certainly testify), Olympe was already visiting it!
Many thanks for helping undertake this project go to: Daniel Aubin and Vasco Presset for their excellent water construction skills, Thierry Holweger and Patricia Serex for finding, preparing and transporting the 5m larch trunk which supported the new platform, Emile Curty for his painting skills in making our artificial Osprey nests as discrete as possible, and Jean-Luc Holweger and Christiane Reynolds for their assistance and for allowing their sailboat to be turned into a working boat for the day! We are also grateful for help from the Association of the Grande Cariçaie and cantonal authorities in obtaining the necessary authorisations.
For those wondering about Arthur (F12), earlier this spring he unexpectedly moved from his usual territory on the Lake of Bienne to the Lake of Neuchâtel. While still a bachelor, he continues to do his best to find a mate. As far as “our” females are concerned, all is well and they are sitting on eggs right now.
In the meantime, we are organizing the next “Osprey Mornings”, scheduled for the Sundays of June 7 and 21, with a special emphasis this year on the Aare and the Doubs river basins. For all who would like to contribute and have binoculars (and ideally also a telescope), please sign up here or let us know about your availability at wendy.strahm(a)gmail.com.
* Lake Neuchâtel is renowned for its UNESCO World Heritage lake-dweller sites. After planting our first pole in the lake, our hats go off to how the prehistoric lake-dwellers planted their own poles. To learn more about this fascinating ancient civilization, don’t miss a chance to visit the excellent Laténium Museum in Neuchâtel.
