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Nimrod's Spring Migration |
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DATE |
NOTES
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Resume |
Nimrod wintered in Guinea
Bissau and started his migration on 27th March |
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14th May |
Nimrod has been busy catching fish for
his mate and taking turns at incubating. The GPS data showed
he roosts close to the nest nearly every night. The map
below shows that he has been ranging on fishing trips from
Lochindorb in the south north to Findhorn Bay (18 miles) and
from Nairn east into the Moray hill lochs (15 miles) |
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Nimrod's hunting range mid April - mid
May |
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24th April |
Nimrod perched on the branch above the
nest at 11am; his mate standing on the eyrie, calling for
food. |
|
16th April |
Cold grey misty day with haar coming
off the North Sea; checked nest in afternoon and just the
female perched above the nest. The GPS data showed that
Nimrod flew to the nest from Glenferness at 9am, probably
with a fish, and was perched at or near the nest at 10am and
11am, so mat be he has won the contest. We'll see in the
next few days. |
|
15th April |
Nimrod definitely back in the nest
area this afternoon but having trouble with the intruder
(see my blog for details). It will be interesting to check
his definite arrival time when the satellite data comes
through in two days time.
Later GPS data, Nimrod was fishing over the loch at 9am, and
then flew easterly to get round the cloudy Cairngorms; he
flew over Glenshee and at 11am over the top of Glen Esk he
headed north for Deeside flying N at 28km/h at 615 metres.
At midday he was perched by a small loch on the north side
of Lochnagar and was still there an hour later, but soon
headed north as at 2pm he was flying over the road
from Bridge of Brown to Grantown on Spey, just east of
Nethybridge. Passing over Grantown he was near the
Glenferness fishery at 3pm and back perched near his nest at
4pm. By chance I was at
his nest at 3.25pm and saw him attempt to land at the nest
which must have been his arrival.
He was back at Glenferness from 5pm
and roosted overnight in a wood there. |
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Nimrod battling his way round the
cloud covered mountains on 14th - 15th April |
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14th April |
Nimrod at roost at 5am, but an hour
later was already heading NNE near Sorbie. At 7am he was
flying NNE near the A714 between Loch Trool and Loch
Ochiltree - the easterly winds and foggy conditions in
eastern Scotland were pushing him west all day. At 8am he
was flying NE at 26km/h just east of Kirkmichael in
Ayrshire, and an hour later was flying at 30km/h NNE over
Prestwick airport. At 10am he was perched east of Kilwinning
and then flew NNW over Fairlie on the Ayc coast at 11am.
Midday saw him flying NNE 31 metres above the Clyde jsut
outside the Holy Loch. Turning NE he flew up Loch Long and
at 1pm was heading for Loch Lomond. The mountains to the
north were cloud covered so he tracked easterly to Loch
Doine, and at 3pm was just south of Loch Tay. At 4pm he
appeared to be fishing on the River Tay just upstream from
Aberfeldy. He crossed over Pitlochry, and
abandoned his attempt to get through the mountains. He
roosted overnight in a small wood by Loch Crannach. |
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Flying north to avoid the east coast
haar and easterly winds 14th April |
|
13th April |
I checked Nimrod's nest at 7am this
morning and just like the last two days, the female and a
new male have been building up the nest and mating; and the
intruding male, yellow/black HA, has brought back fish for
the female. So when Nimrod gets back he will need to chase
off this male. It's another beautiful sunny day and I expect
Nimrod to come flying in at any moment, and I'll check later
in the day. The male HA is 6 years old, I ringed him on 8th
July 2003 and so far he has not found a mate and a nest.
5pm still no sign of Nimrod I'll go home and see if there
are any satellite signals for him and find out why he's not
here. Data received this
evening: Nimrod at last had good weather, and left the
reservoir after 8am. At 10am he was flying directly
north at 63 km/h, near Megrit, and he left the Brittany
coast at Fort-la-Latte. At 11am, he was flying at 73 km/h
due north over the sea at 853 m, heading for the Channel
Islands. At 12am GMT, he was over the small island of
Jethou, just to the east of Jersey, flying north-north-west
at 79 km/h, and 777 m above the island. At 2pm BST, he was
approaching the Dorset coast, flying north at 85 km/h, and
1145 m above the sea. He came ashore west of
Abbotsbury on the Dorset coast, and at 3pm was continuing at
high speed, flying at 90 km/h due north over Toller Whelme,
near Beominster. The last signal of the day was a non GPS at
6.39pm, when he was at Llanfechain in north Wales, 9 miles
south west of Oswestry. At last, he had got a good day
and had already done 516 kms, probably more, before he
settled to roost.
Later signal at 7.30pm, Nimrod was
flying north over the sea 5 miles NW of Hoylake, so he could
make Morecambe Bay by dusk - and knowing him - will he fly
by the moon and be home by morning! I'll look for him
tomorrow but later in the day.
GPS data now in showed Nimrod midway
between Isle of Man and Cumbrian coast at 9pm, flying at
85km/h NW at 994 metres above the sea; he came ashore at
Burrow Head, Kirkcudbright, and was at roost at the edge of
a wood at 11pm just south of Glasserton. |
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Nimrod's delayed
days in Brittany and then crossing the Channel on 13th April |
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12th April |
He was heading north at 8am, and at
9am, he was perched further north near Besle. Again, the
weather was preventing strong migration, although at 11am,
he was flying at 53 km/h north-north-west at 495 m, near La
Bourdonnaye. An hour later, he was still flying
strongly to the north-north-west, but by 2pm, he had stopped
for the day at a reservoir near Boudelan in Brittany. |
|
11th April |
Nimrod moved downstream from 4am to
6am, and then flew north west over Nantes. At 7am, he
was flying at 33 km/h west, near Sautron. At 8am, he
was flying north and at 9am he was flying west-north-west at
34 km/h, at 33m altitude, near Guenrouet. He was clearly
finding the poor weather conditions not to his liking for
migration, and after making small movements further north,
by midday he was hunting over a small reservoir at Vay.
Then, for the rest of the day, he was perched in the Foret
du Gavre. His day's journey was only 118 kms. |
|
10th April |
Nimrod at the roost at 5am and 6am:
the weather is poor in that area, rain with clouds and a
13mph south wind. Last night he was 35 kilometres south of
his autumn stop-over north of La Rochelle. At 1025am GMT he
was 133 kilometres further north over Nantes, heading for
the English Channel. The next transmission is due in 3 days
and at this speed he might be home in Moray.
Checked his nest at 3.45pm this
afternoon and his mate had arrived during the day - she was
eating a fish on the old nest - she looked very thin and in
need of a good fish to fill her crop. Little does she know
that she will have to fish for herself for another three
days before Nimrod gets back.
Data received 13th April: at 11
am GMT, he was 33 kms north on the estuary of the River Lay,
where he stopped over last October, At midday, he was flying
north east at 40 km/h to the east of La Roche-sur-Yon.
He continued to fly north, and was near Geneston at 2 pm.
An hour later, he was perched by a small tributary of the
River Loire, south east of Nantes, and upstream from
Portillon. He roosted overnight in trees near a
backwater. The day's flight was 130 kms. |
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Position of Ile d'Oleron and last
night's roost site on the island |
|
9th April |
Nimrod had left by 10am when he was
flying N at 65 km/h - he appeared to have a following wind,
because an hour later he was SE of Avila, still flying fast
at 64km/h at 125 metres. The next signal (still waiting for
the complete transmission) was at 9pm when he was roosting
in a wood on Ile d'Oleron, on west coast of France. He was
one kilometre NW of the village of Chaucre. The day's
flights was a staggering 700 kilometres in 12 hours - which
suggests he took the shortest route and had a strong tail
wind, and that he cut the corner of the Bay of Biscay. We'll
see when the full data comes in.
Well the data came in this evening -
and what an incredible
flyer and navigator - he flew
723 kilometres between 9.40am GMT and 8.30pm GMT - that's a
mean hourly speed of 66km/h (41mph). He hardly deviated from
the fastest track and the other amazing feature was that he
flew at a very high altitude for a migrating osprey - up to
1695 metres (5500 feet) above the waves of the Bay of Biscay
- normal height is several hundred metres. He was presumably
picking up a faster tail wind.
Nimrod was still at his roost at
9am GMT, and must have left sometime around 9.40am, for he
was flying at 65km/h due N at 955 metres at 10am. He flew
flew through a col in the mountain range west of Madrid. At
11am he was flying N at 1295 metres and then passed
Villacastin, at midday he was flying at 68 km/h NNE at 1136
metres. He passed Bernardos and then east of Cuellar. At 1pm
he was flying lower towards the mountains and at 2pm was
1270 metres over Burgos flying at 95km/h NNE. He dropped his
altitude heading for Bilbao and at 3pm crossed over
Portugalete on the Bilbao estuary, and then left the Basque
coast near Armintza, where the cliffs are 160 metres. He was
4 kms offshore at 4pm and was flying at 85 km/h NNE at 1671
metres above the sea. An amazing height. He kept up this
high speed of 82-85 km/h across the Bay of Biscay, at 6pm he
was 55 kms west of Cap Ferret, and he was at 1695 metres
altitude. At 8pm, after dark but with a moon, he dropped to
5 metres above the sea and was 14 kilometres off Ile
d'Oleron heading for the island, which he probably reached
about 8.30pm. He roosted in a wood on the island after a
most amazing day's flight. The fastest I've known and
certainly living up to his name! |
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Nimrod's incredible flight of
723 kilometres in under 11 hours on 9th April |
|
7th - 8th April |
Nimrod reached the San Rafael
Navallana-Cordoba reservoir at 3pm, and was out fishing at
4pm; and the roosted overnight in open woodland at the NW
side of the reservoir. Next day he was flying north at 11am
GMT and at midday was flying at 37km/h at 1544 metres to the
east of Pozoblanco. He roosted at the eastern end of the
Cazalegas reservoir to the SW of Madrid. |
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Nimrod's first GPS
positions 7th - 10th April |
|
7th April |
Later signals came in, which showed
that Nimrod had set off north in the morning, and at 7am was
already flying north in the mountains west of Jimena de la
Frontera and at 9am was heading for Prado del Rey.
Unfortunately, the next transmission will be in three days
time when he should have reached north Spain or France. |
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Nimrod's positions 4th - 7th April |
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7th April |
Nimrod's three day data starting to
come in this morning and seemingly shows some dramatic and
dangerous moments. On 4th April at 8pm GMT, he was flying
strongly 80 km/h over the Atlantic Ocean 42 kilometres off
the Moroccan coast north of Laayoune - apparently following
his southward maritime track. An hour later he had turned
ENE towards the coast flying at 20 km/h at 550 metres, and
had abandonded his direct over Ocean route. At 10pm (in
night conditions) he was 20 kms closer to the coast but
still 80 kilometres offshore - he was now flying ESE at 31
km/h and was down to 6 metres above the waves - probably
flying against an offshore wind. A worrying situation but
the first non GPS position of today (7th April) shows he did
make it safely back to the coast, and has now crossed the
Straits of Gibraltar and at 4.12am GMT was in the hills 3
kilometres east of Facinas, north of Tarifa. He's probably
at a small reservoir nestling in the hills, which are
covered in wind turbines, so he needs to be careful.
He's now reached Europe but still has a good run to get back
home and start breeding. |
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4th April |
Nimrod's satellite transmitter is on a
3 day transmission, so up dates are longer than the other
two birds. Tonight's check showed that he had reached
southern Morocco - at 7.30 pm he was near Tan-Tan, about 300
kms south of Agadir. On the night of 31stMarch/1st
April he had rooosted on the Adrar plateau south of
Chinguett1; he then flew north through the SE corner of
Western Sahara and roosted the night in deserts south of the
Fderik iron ore mine in northern Mauritania. The night
of 2nd/3rd April he was roosting in the desert north of the
mine. Some hourly transmission were missing suggesting he
was stuck in dust storms, which obscure the sun on the solar
panel. But he has now cleared most of the hostile areas and
today should reached his first fishing opportunities in
Morocco. |
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Nimrod's migration
across Mauritania 29th March to 1st April |
|
Ist April |
At 2pm had flown over the Passe
d'Amogjar heading for northern Mauritania and was flying
north at 56km/h. He flew north into the SE corner corner of
Western Sahara, north of Choum and roosted the night south
of the huge iron mine at Fderik. 228 kilometres further
along the migration. |
|
31st March |
Perched on the massif until 10am, and
then flying north at 11am at 66km/h; Nimrod continued north
and at 1pm was soaring at 1173 metres over Guelb Debarh. The
early afternoon he was flying over sandy deserts and then at
5pm was flying at 57 km/h NNE at 124 metres over the Massif
de Sbaya. Continued NE to NW over the massif and at 8pm was
roosting in large zone of big sand dunes with scattered
bushes. |
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Nimrod's track
across the Mauritanian desert on 30th March |
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30th March |
Nimrod around roost area until 10am,
then flew ENE to an area of alkes near Melgue el Ouridane.
Migration north had started by 1pm and he passed to the east
of Kiffa. At 3pm was flying at 50km/h NNW at 578 metres and
then passed through an amazing area of desert with isolated
mountains, like Tamount Goassi. He roosted on the rocky
massif after covering 185 kilometres. |
|
29th March |
Nimrod was at roost until 9am and then
an hour later was soaring and gaining height. At 11 am he
was flying north east at 48 km/h and just after midday he
crossed the Senegal River just upstream of Bakel and headed
into Mauritania. He continued flying north at between 32 and
76km/h and the last signal at 3 pm hour he was still flying
north heading for Kiffa. He roosted in area of small lakes
and had flown another 265 kilometres. |
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Nimrod's migration
27th - 2th March |
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28th March |
Nimrod from flew a few kilometres to a
large of reservoir where he stayed until after 9 am. An hour
later he was to the north flying north and at 11 am he was
flying at 50 km/h NNW at 313 metres just three kilometres to
the east of The Gambia. Nimrod crossed the Gambia river near
Velingara at midday and continued flying strongly NE to N At
2 pm he flew to the east of Tambacounda. Continuing
north over the higher ground he started to gain height and
at 4 pm he was flying NE at 50 km/h at 1497 metres
(the land is just 60 metres). At 6 pm he was at a night
roost in scrub land, after a journey of 243 kilometres. |
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27th March |
Nimrod was at his main roost until 6
am, then out of the river at 7 am presumably hunting, back
on the edge of the marsh at 8 am and back to his main roost
at 9 am. It looked like a normal day but by 10 am Nimrod had
started his great migration north and was flying N at 30
km/h. At 11 am he was much further up the river and at
midday was flying NNE at 58 km/h at 678 metres. He crossed
the river Corubal and headed inland and at 4 pm was still
flying NNW north of Gaba. An hour later he had crossed the
Senegal border and was soaring at 862 metres altitude. By 6
pm he had settled to roost SW of Kounkane in Senegal. His
day's flight was 220 kilometres. |
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23rd March |
Nimrod's behaviour has changed, he
spent most of the day at his main roost, except for flying
out to fish in the river at 3pm and 5pm. He will probably
leave soon. |
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 |
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Autumn Migration 2008- and winter
2008/2009
Nimrod has continued to take fish back
regularly to his three young at his nest. When the weather
out on the coast and in Findhorn bay is poor, he visits a
trout fishery near Glenferness. The female was still there
until the 24th August and on a visit in nice weather on 12th
September I saw two of the chicks near the eyrie. Both were
very alert and quickly saw me and gave alarm calls. Maybe
the oldest had already departed.
Once Nimrod sets off on migration - we
will update this page - it will be very interesting to
follow an adult male osprey in great detail - it will the
first time we have done so and it will be fascinating to see
if there are differences compared to the females - Logie,
Beatrice and Morven. |
|
20th March |
Nimrod is still waiting to start his
migration - today he spent all his time close to his main
roost in the mangrove swamps in Guinea Bissau. He should
start north soon - he has not been an early arrival in
Scotland so there is no need to worry. |
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 |
|
14th March |
Still no movement and Nimrod has been
much more focussed on the main roosting area - he should be
off soon. |
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5th March |
Nimrod continues to use exactly the
same wintering area, but he must be close to setting off
north. Guinea Bissau has been in the news this week with the
assassination of the President and the Army Chief. |
|
17th -27th Feb |
Continued to use the same area and
routine. At 10am on 12th was out over the river probably
fishing, while at 2pm that day he was at a new location 2.56
kilometres to the NE over mangroves swamps, he was flying SE
at 78 metres at 56 km/hr. In a few week's time he should
start his migration north. |
|
3rd February |
Nimrod is still located on the same
part of the river estuary - good data has been coming in
daily showing a regular night time roost in a big tree in
the south of his winter range then an early morning move out
to the edge of the mangroves, followed by a flight to the
northern section and a late afternoon fishing trip on the
river.
In just over a month he should be
thinking of heading back north - today it's a cold winter's
day with snow in Scotland, but the first signs of spring
have been showing in the last week. |
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Nimrod's positions during daylight
hours on 2nd February 2009 |
|
23rd Jan |
Recent weeks he has been following
same daily routine in same area of mangroves and river; at
6pm on 21st he was close to the usual overnight roost. |
|
5th Jan |
At 2am Nimrod was roosting in his
normal tree. |
|
27th Dec |
Nimrod using a regular routine and
regularly roosting at night in same tree on edge of forest
over looking mangroves. |
|
4th Dec |
Nimrod is still in same area and with
same daily routine. I was looking across his fishing sites
at Findhorn bay yesterday; the edge of the salt marsh was
ice covered with a thin covering of snow on the sea wall
(some difference to Nimrod's winter home 3250 miles to the
south) - lots of wildfowl and waders, and there were 6
Greenland white-fronted geese, which is unusual for our
area. |
|
22nd Nov |
In usual haunts; at 3am was in the
main roost tree on edge of mangroves. |
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Nimrod's
movements 20th November 2008 |
|
20th Nov |
Map above shows his movements during
the day - two trips to the north presumably to fish;
distance between locations through the day was 8.5 kms.
|
|
2nd - 10th November |
Settled in wintering area; on 3rd he
was on the other side of the river 3.2 kilometres from main
roost; at 4pm on 6th he was 3 kilometres to the north and
last evening he was fishing in mid river. |
|
1st November |
Nimrod fully settled into winter
quarters - roosting at night in same trees on edge of
woodland on south site; spending part of day up in the
creeks, and one fix on probable fishing activity - flying
north over the estuary at 36 km/h at 21 metres about 500
metres from the shore at 8 am on 29th October. |
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Nimrod's daily movements
23rd -27th October
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|
21st -28th October |
Nimrod is now settled firmly in his
winter quarters - his routine is very similar from day to
day; roosting at night in the southern magroves and visiting
the creeks a few kilometres north during the day; his
furthest flight was a few kilometres across the river. |
|
19th - 20th October |
On both days Nimrod had the same
activity, roosting overnight in the southern mangroves, and
then moving a few kilometres north during the day,
presumably to fish. On the 20th, he was in mid channel of
the estuary of the River Cassini, and by nightfall was back
at the usual roost site. It is certainly looking as though
this will be his wintering site, and from his behaviour I
would guess he was here last winter. |
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Nimrod's
movements from roost to feeding & loafing sites and back to
roost on 18th October |
|
18th October |
Nimrod roosted again in mangrove
swamps along the estuary close to last night's roost and in
the morning moved out onto the edge of water; after midday
he flew north again to the small inlet, and at night
returned to the same roost. His day's movement point to
point of his hourly GPS positions was 4.56 kilometres. This is
looking very much like his wintering site. |
|
17th October |
Nimrod spent all day in an area of
mangrove swamps on the south side of a river estuary,
upstream from the village of Cachine in southern Guinea
Bissau. During the middle of the day he moved 2 kilometres
to the north and spent time close to a small river running
into the swamps. The weather forecast was for rain showers,
light west wind, temperature 31 to 33 degrees C - some
difference to Findhorn Bay! Sunrise is at 5.48am and sunset
5.40pm. This may be his
wintering area and will be confirmed by his local movements
in the next couple of days. He is now 5250 kilometres (3266
miles) from his nesting area. |
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Nimrod's flight 15th and 16th
October |
|
16th October |
He was still on the island at 7am, and
at 8am was perched further south in the riverine forest. At
9am he had restarted migrating and was flying SE at 33km/h.
Ar 10am he was perched again and then he carried on
south,and at midday and 1pm was flying strongly south at
48km/h at an altitude between 115 and 403 metres. At 2pm he
was perched by the big river in southern Guinea Bissau and
at 4pm he was only 10 kilometres from the Guinea border in
southern Bissau. Interestingly, he was just 80 kilometres
east of Isla Roxa, Logie's wintering site. His day's flight
was 94 kilometres and he must be getting close to his
wintering site. |
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Nimrod's roost on island in
River Geba, Guinea Bissau 15th/16th October |
|
15th October |
At midday, Nimrod was flying east at
51km/h, at 160 metres above the lowlands of Senegal; at 2pm
he crossed the southern Casamanche river and entered Guinea
Bissau. At 3pm he was over the headwaters of the River
Cacheu flying SE at 45km/h and he had gained height to 577
metres. He carried on south and at 6pm had settled on
a small island of trees in the River Geba. Nimrod spent the
night here after a day's flight of 186 kilometres.
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Nimrod's flight 13th to 15th
October |
|
15th October |
Nimrod is going further south. He left
his roost on the river after 9am, and an hour later was well
into southern Senegal, flying SE at 29 km/h. The last signal
of the batch today was at 11am, when he was flying
East at 35km/h near Koumbamo, heading for the north branch
of the Casamanche river, some 50 kilometres NE of Siguinchor.
Where is he going to stop - he's getting close to Logie's
wintering site in Guinea Bissau! |
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Nimrod's roost on the Gambia
River 14th -15th October |
|
14th October |
Nimrod moved from his roost after 7am,
and at 8am was perched in the desert 19 kilometres to the
south. Soon after he crossed the Senegal River, near Rosso,
and at 9am was flying low (30 metres) over the freshwater
lake, Lac De Giers, which supplies Dakar (the capital of
Senegal) with fresh water. At 10am he was at the south end
of the lake flying strongly S at 310 metres and he continued
this direction, at 1pm he was flying south at 80km/h at 1647
metres. He passed over the town of Diourbel with its
beautiful blue roofed mosque. Just after 3pm, Nimrod crossed
the Saloum River (a favourite wintering area for many
ospreys) and at 5pm he had crossed into The Gambia, where at
6pm he was perched in the swamps on the south side of the
main river north of Bwiam, he then flew 3 kilometres west to
a roost beside a small tributary of the river, near Dambutto.
His day's flight was 400 kilometres. I wonder if this might
be his wintering area - it's certainly good for fish. |
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Nimrod's detour to the
Atlantic Coast of southern Mauritania 13th
October |
|
13th October |
From 6 to 9am Nimrod was perched in
the desert 1.5 kilometres from the night time roost; then he
started flying towards the Atlantic Ocean. At 11am he was
perched about a kilometre inland from the coast, and I
wonder if he had been fishing and was eating. At midday,
Nimrod was flying east about 2 kms offshore but had climbed
to 534 metres above the sea, an hour later he was further
down the coast and then turned inland over the deserts
again. At 2pm, he was flying at 39km/h SSW at 1601 metres,
and he kept flying at high altitude to the south, at 4pm he
was flying at 38km/h SE at 1749 metres and two hours later
he was roosting in stony ridges in the semi-desert, about 9
kilometres north of Keur Nala. His day's flight was 153
kilometres and he is heading for Senegal. |
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Nimrod's
flight 11th -12th October - & Morven's location |
|
12th October |
Nimrod was still at roost at 8am, and
then appeared to fly some distances south-west and perch
again, and did not start continuous migration until later in
the morning, and at midday was flying SW at 59 km/h at 951
metres and an hour later was still heading for the Atlantic
Ocean coast. But after 1pm he turned south, missing the
opportunity to fish at the coast, and flew SSE for the next
four hours over the Mauritania deserts at altitudes of 158
to 416 metres and speeds of 35 to 60 km/h. About 3pm his
flight south was just 20 kilometres east of Morven's
position on the coast and at 5pm
he was 25 kilometres east of Nouakchott, the capital of
Mauritania. An hour later he stopped to roost in the desert. His day's flight by this time was 252
kilometres. He appears to be headed for Senegal, rather than
the Mauritanian coasts. |
|
11th October |
Nimrod restarted his migration at 9am
and for the next three hours flew SW at 53 to 72 kilometres
per hour over the Sahara Desert. Next signal at 2pm
after he had passed into northern Mauritania; by now he was
flying at altitudes over 1000 metres heading over the
deserts and reached an overnight roosting site in open
plains after 6pm. His day's flight was 412 kilometres. |
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10th October |
At 7am, he set off over the desert,
stopped an hour later, and then set off strongly on a SSW
migration, he passed into Northern Mauritania at 11am, and
during this three hour period was flying at 80 to 85km/h SSW
at 800 to 900 metre altitude. At 2pm, he crossed the border
into Western Sahara at 1329 metres, and at 5pm was back in
Mauritania flying at 43km/h SSE at 1235 metres and two hours
later settled for his night roost in open deserts in Western
Sahara, about 4o kilometres west of the huge iron ore mine
at Fderik. Today's migration was all over hostile open
deserts, stony plains and rocky mountains ridges. The day's
flight was 567 kilometres |
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Nimrod's
non-stop 35 hour migration 8th - 9th October |
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9th October |
Nimrod had flown over the whole of
Spain by moonlight - the first fix of the day (the
transmitter's GPS is off from 8pm - 6am GMT) showed he had
flown at least 782 kilometres overnight and was 113
kilometres from the Andalucian coast flying at 18km/h SW
over the Atlantic Ocean towards Morocco. During the night it
appears his SW heading took him over Madrid and he crossed
the coast at Mazagon, at the mouth of the river at Huelva,
about 4am. It was perfect conditions for a night flight with
clear skies and a nearly full moon, but intentional night
flights over land by ospreys is very unusual. He covered 782
kilometres in the 10 hour flight, which is a mean speed of
78kms/h, which meant he had picked up favourable tailwinds.
He clearly knew his route and high over Andalucia he would
have seen the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
It is interesting that he then set
off SW to Morocco for a 690 kilometre flight over the
Atlantic Ocean to the west coast of Morocco at Essaouira,
which meant that he avoided flying over the series of high
mountains in Morocco. Over the ocean, he was flying between
58 and 483 metres above the sea at speeds between 56 and 90
km/h. His route was direct and he came ashore at Assaouira
at 2pm, he had passed Agadir by 4pm and then flew down the
coast, before heading south into the deserts and finally
came to roost near Leimadrat in South Morocco.
This was an incredible 2300
kilometre migration flight, non-stop in about 35 hours, at
an average speed of 68 kilometres per hour. He had obviously
decided that it was time to get to Africa and his winter
quarters after his 12 day stop-over on the French coast.
After this flight, Nimrod (the might hunter) could also be
called the mighty navigator! |
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Nimrod's
462 kilometre flight on 8th October |
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8th October |
This proved to be the start day of an
incredible non-stop migration. Nimrod was at usual roost
until 8am (local time), then a little to the NW probably
eating a fish at 9am, and an hour later was at the south end
of the island flying SSE at 42km/h.
At 11am, he was 42 kms south and had
crossed the outer estuary of the River Gironde, about
800 metres offshore, 112 metres above the sea. At midday, he
was near the reserve, Etang d'Cousseau (where one of our
colour ringed adult ospreys has been reported by the warden)
and at 1pm was flying SSE at 63km/h at 486metres over
Pyla-s-Mer, Arcachon. He was over Etang de Bicarrosse at 2pm
and near Lit-et-Mixe an hour later. At 4pm, he had changed
heading to the south to fly round the west end of the
Pyrenees, and was flying SSW at 56km/h at 166metres inland
of Hossegor. At 5pm he was flying at 54km/h SW just south of
Ustaritz and then flew over the border into Spain.
At 6pm, Nimrod was flying SSW at
69km/h near Imotz, he passed 10 kilometres west of Pamplona.
At 7pm he was near Calahorra flying SSW at 72 km/h and at
8pm he was still flying SW, at 65 km/h at 1239 metres
altitude 25 kilometres SW of Tudela. His day's journey to
this point was 462 kilometres.
By chance, I was further west in
the Cantabrian mountains; it had been a lovely day with
completely clear skies in the evening, with a bright moon,
after a few days of poor weather. |
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2nd - 7th October |
Nimrod remained throughout this
period in the same area - roosting in forests at south end
of the island and feeding
in the estuary. On night of 2nd/3rd, he roosted in woods on
the mainland south of the island and also visited that area
on 6th. The weather on the 7th was wet and cold in the
Bay of Biscay, with some heavy rain showers. |
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Nimrod on
Ile d'Oleron |
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30th Sept - 1st October |
Nimrod settled down in the woods at
the south end of the island; at 10am on 30th September he
was flying over fish ponds to the south of Ors, and next day
at 1pm he was perched out on the estuary, just south of the
road bridge to the mainland. |
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28th - 29th September |
All day 28th in same area and roosted
overnight 28th/29th in same woodland; on 29th was at roost
until 10am and at 11am was flying NE low over the bay south
of point. By 1pm he had flown south over La Rochelle and was
circling at 349 metres east of Marennes. At 3pm he was
further west, perched by a small lake west of Diree and then
flew north over the Foret de la Coubre. At 5pm Nimrod was
perched in woodland at the south end of the big island, Ile
d'Oleron. |
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27th September |
Nimrod spent the whole day on the
estuary and headland north of La Rochelle; the map above
shows his day's stop-over - he left his roost in woodlands
on the headland and spent all day near the spit, and in the
sheltered shallow water of the estuary. In the evening he
flew back two kilometres or so to roost in the woods slightly
north of the previous night's roost. |
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Nimrod's flight along the
French coast |
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26th September |
At 7am, he was flying at 36kms/h SE
over the sea off Le Porteau, and at 8am - 9am was perched in
a wood west of Jard-sur-Mer. Nimrod carried on along the
coast and appeared to be fishing in the estuary of the River
Lay at 11am, and for the next two hours was perched on the
mud flats inside the spit. This is just north of La
Rochelle. |
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25th September |
Nimrod left the roost after 7am, and
was perched in trees some distance south an hour later; at
9am he was flying for the coast at 39kms/h and at 10am
appeared to be fishing in the outer parts of Baia di
Plouharnel, and at 11 am was perched on a post in the nearby
mudflats at the base of the Quiberon peninsula. Nimrod then
island hopped by the way of the Iles d'Houat and Hoedic, and
then across the sea to Le Crosic. At 2pm, he crossed the
estuary of the Loire river (which upstream passes through
the French osprey breeding area around Orleans) just
outside Saint Nazaire. At 3pm, he was flying at 57kms/h
along the coast at 765 metres altitude, and 2 hours later he
was perched in a salt marsh at L'Ille d'Olonne, and during
the evening moved 3 kilometres inland to a woodland roost.
His day's leisurely flight was 207 kilometres. |
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24th September |
Nimrod showed the great ability of
experienced adult ospreys to know where they want to go. He
was away soon after dawn, without fishing, and by 7am was 23
miles SE, after crossing the Gower Peninsula he was out over
the sea heading for North Devon, flying SSE at 52km/h at 650
feet above the waves. He came ashore near Combe Martin, just
east of Ilfracombe, and headed down over the Devon farmlands
flying SE at 52 kms/h and passed over Exeter, to fish in the
upper Exe estuary opposite Exton at 10am. An hour later he
was over Dawlish Warren and was flying south along the south
Devon coast. At midday,
Nimrod was 8 kilometres to the east of Start Point, heading
SE out over the English Channel at 72km/h picking up tail
winds. Two hours later he was flying at 63kms/h SSE at 600
feet above the sea. He came ashore on the Brittany coast at
Perros Guirec, and kept flying SSE to reach his overnight
stop near Bourron. At 6pm he was fishing along the river
Blavet, and an hour later was up on a wooded hillside
probably eating a fish and then moved lower near the river
to roost overnight. His day's flight was 278 miles. Nimrod
showed the way to fly from South Wales confidently to Devon,
visited a good place to fish at midday, and then safely
crossed a wide part of the Channel to France. Tomorrow's
forecast in France is early morning fog clearing to bright
sunny day with light north winds.
Nimrods' roost
in Brittany |
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23rd September |
He was already flying south at 47 kms/h
at 7am, just to the northwest of Pwllheli, and then flew
south out into Tremadog Bay , and then coasted down Cardigan
Bay. At 8am flying SSW at 43kms/h and an hour later at
53kms/h, and then turned into the Welsh coast just north of
Carmarthen. He flew on to the south coast and reached
Carmarthen Bay at 10am. He spent the rest of the day along
this coast and roosted in Pembrey Forest. A day's flight of
108 miles. |
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22nd September |
Nimrod roosted near his nest near
Forres overnight, and then flew to the trout fishery near
Glenferness. He was in that area from 8 am to 11am, and at
midday he set off on migration, being ten miles south
near Lochindorb flying ESE at 34 kms/hr. A high pressure
system was bringing in colder weather and fresh winds from
the north, and clear skies. At 1pm he was flying south over
Braeriach at 1280 metres, straight over the Cairngorm
Mountains flying fast to the south. He reached Perth at 3pm,
flying SSE at 40 km/h at 890 metres over the Tay, then
crossed the Firth of Forth and flew over Edinburgh, and onto
Peebles-shire passing over the breeding grounds of the
Border ospreys. At 7pm, he crossed the Solway estuary, just
east of Annan, into England, and then flew out over the
Irish Sea south of St Bees Head. At 9pm he was midway
between Blackpool and the Isle of Man flying south at
51kms/h, 90 metres above the sea. He must have reached the
Isle of Anglesey after dark, but with moonlight found a
roosting site. A day's flight of 320 miles.
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21st Sept |
Nimrod at nest and several flights to
and from the trout fishery at Glenferness. |
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Nimrod's two day trip to
Montrose Bay and back home to Moray - 174 mile round trip |
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21st September |
In the morning, I telephoned the
nature reserve centre at Montrose Bay. They told me up to
three ospreys had been fishing the bay earlier in the month,
and they'd look out for Nimrod. There the weather was grey
and overcast.
Nimrod was still at the roost at
8am, and an hour later he was over a mile SE beside a small
loch, presumably fishing. Then he amazed me; instead of
staying there or setting off south he came back home! At
10am he was flying west at Cortachy, at 11am he was flying
up Glen Clova at 49km/h heading north at 276 metres; at
midday he was flying down Glen Muick at Balmoral, crossing
the River Dee, he headed for the Lecht and was circling at
Tomintoul at 1pm, and then rested on a hilltop above
Glenliver until at least 3pm. At 4pm he was beside Loch of
the Cowlatt on the Moray moors, just north of the Paul's
Hill windfarm, and an hour later he was back at his nest
near Forres, where he stayed and roosted overnight.
Here it was a lovely day, fresh SE
- S winds, clear skies with some clouds. Why did he come
back? Did he think the weather further south was poor? Did
he think he'd left a chick behind? |
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Nimrod starts his migration
19th September |
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19th September |
Nimrod roosted in Culbin Forest, near
Cloddy Moss, overnight; he then flew south to the
Glenferness Trout fishery near where he remained all
morning, probably after eating. It was another grey day here
today, with NE wind but during the morning it started to
clear and by midday was bright and sunny. At 1pm, Nimrod
was a few miles from the fishery flying east at 30km/h at
471 metres, and an hour later he was 18 miles to the SE,
flying SE at 58 km/h, near Fodderletter, 3 miles from
Tomintoul. He flew on through the Lecht, over Strathdon and
at 3pm was fllying SE at 61km/h just N of Ballater, an hour
later he was flying SSE at 38km/h near Cairn o'Mount and
then turned south over the lowlands of Kincardineshire. At
5pm he was flying slowly along the shore at Montrose and
turned into Montrose Basin, a SWT reserve, ideal fishing
habitat for ospreys and similar to Findhorn Bay. He has started his migration and we know exactly
when he set off. He made a direct flight on the eastern
route avoiding the Cairngorms and roosted the night a few
miles west of the estuary in scattered woodland. |
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17th - 18th Sept |
Spent the days around Findhorn Bay,
Culbin Bars and inland briefly at his nest on 17th, but by
18th last chick appears to have departed. |
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16th Sept |
Nimrod roosted near his nest last
night, and yesterday he was at the nest at 7am, 11am to 2pm
and 7pm to 9pm (roosting) - he was at Glenferness fishery
7am, and on the Culbin Bars on the Moray coast from 3pm to
6pm. He's roosted at the nest site for last 4 nights but
previously he roosted in Culbin forest well away from being
bothered by three noisy chicks. It rather suggests most
(all) of the chicks may have departed. But two awful days of
low cloud and rain, may be the first clear sunny day will
see him start his migration. |
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