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Moray's Autumn Migration 2008 |
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DATE |
NOTES
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Resume |
The chicks hatched from about 12th
June; and two of them survived; they were ringed
 on
24th July and Moray flew for the first time between 4th and
6th August. The two chicks ranged much more than last year's
female young and were to be found, when away from the nest,
in trees surrounding the area up to 700 metres away. The
male regularly brought in fish, while Logie protected the
nest site and sometimes fed the young. In the last week, at
least one and once two intruder chicks sat on the nest and
tried to scrounge food. Moray departed on 26th August, just
over three weeks after fledging. This is a quite short post
fledging period and the chicks have left rather early.
Photo: Logie top of tree; Moray on
right branch and Glen still on the eyrie. |
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From here, date entries are the latest
first to save scrolling |
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Moray's migration route 26th
August - 5th September |
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7th September |
Martin Scott emailed to say the young
osprey weighed 870 grams, which is very light - he weighed
1446 grams in July and should have gained a little weight
post-fledging, but his journey was very difficult in bad
weather and he probably failed to catch fish sufficiently to
feed himself and his weakened condition may have caused him
to be hit by a vehicle. As can be seen from the map above,
Moray left the nesting area in poor weather and was then
subject to the vagaries of the weather, being blown in
different directions by prevailing winds and migrating
blindly in overcast wet and windy conditions. Unfortunately
he did not find a sheltered place to rest and fish, and wait
for clear weather. This shows the difficulties for
migratory birds leaving Scotland when the weather is against
them. |
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View of Loch Mor
Barvas and (right) Moray found dead in roadside ditch at
Barvas, Isle of Leiws. Photos Martin Scott |
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6th September |
A batch of signals came in during the
day, and I became worried that Moray had not moved location;
and after examining the data carefully, including the
activity counter, I was convinced that he was either dead or
unable to move at Barvas. I telephoned Martin Scott
who lives nearby and he and a couple friends went and
checked the exact position using GPS, and after some
searching found the body of the young osprey in a road side
ditch. I am very grateful to them for checking so quickly. Some local children told
them that they had seen the bird dead in the ditch earlier
in the day. It is possible that he had sadly been hit by a
passing vehicle, and was found near a small roadside
conifer, which may have been his last roost. This is a very
sad end to the chick. He had a very difficult migration
after running into bad weather; having to turn back out of
the Cairngorm mountains on his first flight, then flying out
into the North Sea and back off the Angus coast, and finally blown by
winds and poor visibility to Rannoch, Isle of Skye and
Lewis. Young ospreys leaving Scotland really need good
weather to make that first migration through Scotland and
England successfully, and nowadays we seem to have so many
storms of rain and wind in late August and early September.
Let's hope his brother is successful, but he has also be
blown in a dangerous direction into Ireland. |
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4th Sept |
First data coming in - Moray was just
north of Tolsta Head north of Stornoway at 7am, but back at
Barvas at 10am. |
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2nd September |
Early this morning the bird was
further NE in Pairc. Later in morning, I received a
telephone call from Robin Reed in Lewis who had seen Moray
at the head of Loch Seaforth, near Seaforth Head at 10.30am.
Looked well and he says there are plenty of fish in that
area and it is sheltered. After days of rain, it was a
much nicer day, clear with patches of sun, and a light
southerly wind. Let's hope he catches fish and feeds up, and
sets the compass back to the mainland.
Later in the day, he flew further NW
and by 4pm was at Barvas on the west coast of Lewis, close
to Loch Mor Barvas, and Moray roosted there at night. Let's
hope he stops travelling NW because it is the open Atlantic
Ocean ahead, and landfall is a long way in the wrong
direction.
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1st September |
This evening a non GPS signal gave his
position as in the Pairc, in the Isle of Lewis |
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31st August |
He was perched near the Old Man of
Storr, north of Portree at 1pm. |
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30th August |
Moray roosted overnight near Lochan
Loinn nan Donnlaich, just over 3 miles north-west of
the west end of Loch Rannoch. Still at roost at 8am; but at
midday was flying at 43km/h over a mountain called Ceann
Caol, 3 miles west of Fort William. From 2pm to 4pm,
(signals were intermittent today because of overcast
weather) he was perched on the coast just north of the Sands
of Moray, just south of Mallaig. At 6.44pm a non GPS signal
came in showing that Moray had crossed to the Isle of Skye
and was roosting in a wood just SW of Ben Grasco, 2.5 miles
west of Portree. This would have been a
difficult day's flying in the wrong direction for autumn
migration, due to poor weather and south-west winds.
Today 31st, it's forecast partly overcast with very light
wind. Sadly, Moray has run into poor weather conditions for
migration, just like its brother, - they should have stayed
at their nest and waited for good weather. |
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Moray's flight 30th
August |
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26th August |
A nice warm day in Moray, and I
checked Logie's nest at midday, no sign of either chick, but
there was an unringed chick on the nest hoping to scrounge
fish from the male. I had another look at 5pm, and then the
male 6R was perched in the dead Scots pine eating a medium
sized flounder, and the unringed chick was squeaking for
food on Logie's eyrie. |
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26th August |
Both chicks departed their nest area during
the day, Moray was still there midday but at 1pm was flying
SSW over Dorback, near Nethybridge; and hour later he was
flying south at the top of Strath Nethy to Loch Avon, well
below the flanks of Cairngorm. By 3pm he had turned back and
was at Kinveachy, near Boat of Garten, and
roosted overnight in Scots pine wood above Kinveachy Lodge.
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27th August |
5am still at roost but then she set
off south east and at 1pm was just of the coast north of
Arbroath; an hour later she was flying east over the North
Sea at 1200 feet, but she realised that this was not the
place to be as she turned back and at 3pm was further north
and offshore of Montrose Basin. She came ashore and headed
north inland and roosted overnight near Glensaugh. |
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Moray's first migration - some
problems en route - deep in the Cainrgorms then nearly lost
at sea |
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30th August |
Moray tracked across country and by
evening was just north of Arisaig on the west coast. |
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