Beatrice got stuck today and covered just 20km. She flew 3 km north after 6am and was in hedgerow trees in farmland, near Scounslow, at 7am to 9am. At 10am she was again perched further north near Bramshall, west of Uttoxeter and gave up trying to migrate a little further north and spent the day in wooded hillside near Oakamoor in Staffordshire

Beatrice moved last night to roost just north of Rookesbury Park.  I gave Valerie Webber her last location last night and Valerie was there early this morning but didn’t see her. She visited Chipnall Lake fishery but I wonder if Beatrice had gone there earlier as at 10am and 11am she was perched beside the River Meon a little farther north. Valerie said it was horrible weather and that is shown by Beatrice’s slow migration in the morning.  She flew WNW and then turned NW at Bassett, north of Southampton. She passed Broughton at 1pm and later must have flown north near the Hawk Conservancy, west of Andover.

April 2nd

She then speeded up and was over Chipping Norton before 5pm, between Birmingham and Coventry after 6pm and stopped to roost overnight in Marchington Woods, south of Uttoxeter at 8pm, after a day’s flight of 243km. Just across the fields from her roost are Bates Pool and New Pool, so may be she will fish there in the morning.

Migration track 2 April

Chipnall Lake this morning photo: Valerie Webber

Beatrice was still in the wood in South Normandy at 0700GMT but at 1100hrs was flying north over the English Channel, east of Cherbourg. An hour later she was nearly half way flying NNW at 35kph just above sea level. Two hours later (3pm our time) she was coming into Sandown on the Isle of Wight after a successful crossing. At 4pm she was just off Lee-on-Solent and heading north, passing over the site of my old grammar school in Fareham at 4.30pm and the last signal of the batch at 5pm saw her near the Forest of Bere, Wickham in Hampshire.

Channel crossing April 1st

Beatrice flew 104 km NNW to the Normandy coast. She was off after 0800GMT and at 1300hrs was west of Caen. It was a cloudy wet day so she was stationary near Saint Gabriel in the early afternoon and then moved to be just south of the coast by late noon. She roosted overnight SW of Arromanches-les-Bains in field border trees. Tomorrow the weather is windy (WNW up to 40mph) cloudy and wet in morning, sunnier in noon. Does not sound a good day to cross the Channel but it’s not that far to the Isle of Wight.

March 30th

Beatrice stayed put in the poor weather. In the morning she flew 2km west from her night roost in the forest  to spend the day at Les Etangs de Fontenal.

March 29th

Beatrice fished in lakes on the north edge of the forest and ranged there during the day in poor weather – thick clouds and rain

March 28th stop-over

Beatrice had moved 4km north in late evening to roost by small stream. she flew north at 0600GMT and was perched in woodland near a small lake at 0700-0800GMT so presumably fished there.  She flew north over the River Vienne near Chinon and then over The Loire at the Chinon Nuclear Plant. Passed close to Le Mans at 1300GMT and within the hour had settled in a forest NW of Alencon and spent the rest of the day there.

March 27th

Beatrice flew 203 km north today. She left her overnight roost just before 0900GMT and after midday she flew north, to the east of Poitier. Her day’s flight stopped by 1400GMT, so she is not in a hurry, when she settled by a small fishing lake in woodland south of Jaulnay. The weather for tomorrow is sunny with light winds – good for migration.

March 26th

Beatrice left her stop-over site at 0850GMT this morning and headed strongly NNE. At 1300GMT she crossed high over the River Garonne, near Langan, and stopped for the night at a small lake in forests just NW of La Jamaye, after a flight of 180km. This is one day early than in any previous year.  Philippe Ramos saw her beside the River Adour on 23rd and 24th March and sent the following photo.

Beatrice perched by the River Adour Photo: P. Ramos

Beatrice was still at her stopo-over at 0524GMT today 22nd March.  Philippe Ramos saw her yesterday and took some photos.

Beatrice on 21st March. P. Ramos