Welsh taxpayers own ‘the most expensive bird nest in history’

A pair of nesting ospreys has inadvertently cost Welsh taxpayers half a million pounds after forcing the abandonment of a government-backed festival project.

The Welsh government purchased Gilestone Farm in Powys for £4.25 million in 2024, intending to lease it to Green Man festival organisers for expanded events. However, when two ospreys established a nest on the property, wildlife protection laws required a 750-metre restricted zone around the site, effectively ending these plans.

The property has since been revalued at just £3.75 million, representing a £500,000 loss to the public purse.

A Senedd committee report has heavily criticised the purchase, stating the decision was made with “avoidable haste” that “led to a lack of thorough due diligence”. It suggests officials rushed the acquisition to spend unallocated funds before the financial year-end.

The committee noted that evidence of protected species was present at the time of purchase, yet this wasn’t properly assessed for potential risks to this commercial project.

Welsh wildfowler and Shooting Times contributor Gethin Jones said: “This saga starkly exposes the Welsh government’s woeful lack of both ecological literacy and financial competence. The only winners are the ospreys.”

While the ospreys have become an unexpected wildlife success story, Conservative MS James Evans dubbed Gilestone “the most expensive publicly owned bird nest in history”.

Did you like this article? Read more news from Shooting UK, or subscribe to Shooting Times & Country magazine.