Highland Foundation for Wildlife


Osprey Migration 2007

Talisman Energy UK

 
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OSPREY SATELLITE TRACKING PROJECT

Talisman Energy UK have helped the Foundation carry out osprey conservation, especially building and refurbishing nests, around the Moray Firth in recent seasons through its small grants fund. In 2007 we started an exciting new migration tracking project with their funding assistance. This involved the use of new generation GPS satellite transmitters made by Microwave Telemetry. This project started in July 2007 -  and much exciting information is presented on these pages.   See also  Talisman Energy's own osprey website - www.talisman-ospreys.co.uk

In July 2007, I fitted satellite transmitters to two young ospreys in the Forres area and also to their mother, but failed to catch the male despite many hours of trying. The local Primary School at Logie became involved in the project and named the female osprey 'Logie', and the two young, Thistle and Heather. They have been following 'Logie' through the autumn and winter, and are now wondering when she will get back home. This year I hope to fit transmitters to some more ospreys, including the male, so that we can learn about their lives and migartions. Assuming Logie is successful in returning to her nest we will report on her 2008 breeding season and then follow her migration south next autumn - that will be fascinating - will she go again to the Solway? - will she return to Roxa Island?


CLICK ON PICTURE TO GO TO INDIVIDUAL PAGES
 
                       Female  

                   Younger chick
 
                             Older chick  

                 Male

The New Transmitters are powered through solar panels and are built to last three years. Each hour, as long as the internal battery is charged, they take an accurate  GPS fix, as well as readings of direction and speed of flight, and the altitude. This will allow us to learn much more about their lives before they migrate for Africa; it should reveal their migrations and stop-overs in great detail, give us much more information about their lives in Africa, and most interestingly inform us of their migrations back to Scotland in the Spring. We will try to bring you as much information on the journeys as possible.

It will build on the information we gathered during previous satellite tracking studies - we are particularly interested in the first migrations of the juveniles as we have a theory that Scottish young have an inherited migration heading, from their Scandinavian ancestors, which takes some of them SSW. This is a good direction for migration from Sweden to Spain, but not so good from Scotland, because of hazardous sea crossings and possible losses in the Atlantic Ocean. We also want to build on knowledge of wintering quarters and the opportunities to link the conservation of ospreys between Europe and West Africa.

The Forestry Commission is a partner in this project. Originally the chosen nest was in one of their Moray forests, but the male was finding it difficult to catch enough fish for the three young, so another nest with two (fatter) young was chosen near Forres. The Forestry Commission also helped with the short term loan of a Landrover for carrying ladders and ringing gear.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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