Beatrice remained in her usual wintering location with the exception of flight down to the coast near Guadiaro at midday on 20th  October. Edward and Gayle Whalley sent this nice photograph of Beatrice showing her moulting her large flight feathers.

Beatrice in moult

Beatrice is very settled on the River Guadiaro – see map for 27 September to 15 October.

September 27th to October 15th

Beatrice has been observed at her wintering sites by two people who have sent in their sightings.

|Ken White writes ” Dear Roy, on the last day of my 10th Raptormania trip to Andalucía, the 4th September 2013 last week, my group were having an early morning walk in the Guadiaro valley about 5 km north of San Martin [where else?] at 06:00 hrs GMT [08:00 hrs Spanish time] when we were delighted to have 2 Ospreys come flying southwards down the Guadiaro. one with a satellite pack on its back. It was first light with still very low light levels and initially I heard what I suspected to be a young Osprey [from my Loch Garten days] to appear from the misty river valley , but we were pleasantly surprised to have 2 Ospreys flying downstream with one clearly bearing a satellite pack. I took a sequence of photos in quite poor conditions of this bird and attach some of them. Checking your website it seems we may have seen Beatrice, and would be interested to know if you agree.

I also enclose a link to our trip photo album. BOC Raptormania in Andalucia Autumn 2013

Beatrice over the Guadiaro Ken White

Then  Gayle and Edward Whalley saw her in October and write “I thought that you might like to know that we have seen Beatrice, several times on the Rio Guadiaro. We have lots of photos of her (and although they are not super quality), they quite clearly show an Osprey with an aerial and transmitter.  We can also just about make out the green darvic on the left leg and the BTO on right leg.

Her usual routine sees her setting off from the orange groves and making a short trip down river and returning very quickly with a fish.  One day a smaller raptor (possibly a booted eagle male) disturbed her leisurely routine and she was forced to give chase, fish in talons in the direction of the wind farm.

Yesterday (Sunday 13th October), we sat a little further down the Guadiaro and Beatrice duly arrived and was quite obviously looking to fish, she did go low over the water (and disturb several egrets), but did not dive.  She eventually turned and went back up river and out of sight. A little later she appeared low over the orange groves (we could not make out whether she carried a fish), however a Griffon Vulture was flying very close above her before she and it, dropped out of sight.

She has given us so much pleasure and excitement, as has our visits to the embalse where translocated ospreys have nested successfully this summer.  We were lucky enough to see the Scottish Osprey (we believe it is Blue 21) close to her nest – and a black ringed osprey dive and catch a fish close to the dam.  Thank you for all your conservation work. ”

Beatrice has remained in a small range of her favourite wintering area on the River Guadiaro through the whole period