Red 8T is definitely back and his transmitter has stopped working. Yesterday Julian Orsi, Rothiemurchus ranger saw him at the fishery. This winter they have built new photographic hides at the special osprey pond and its been freshly stocked so is now ideal for people to photograph ospreys. Contact Rothiemurchus Estate if you want to hire a hide. Julian tells me that last year Red 8T was the dominant osprey at the fishery and often chased off other visiting ospreys. It’s great that he is back for another breeding season after a difficult spring migration weather wise.
Well north in Morocco
April 14, 2013
On 14th April, he flew 313 km from his overnight roost in the mountains NE of Tarondant. At 1000GMT he was flying N just NW of Marrakesh and by evening he was roosting near El Gara, 40km SE of Casablanca. He is 320 km short of the Straits and the weather for 15th is sunny with little wind so he may get to Europe tomorrow.
Migration April 14th
No definite sign
April 12, 2013
Since 7th April I have not identified Morven at her nest site and I think the earlier report could have been incorrect. A new female which we saw briefly last summer is at the nest with last year’s male (Morven’s mate). There’s still time for her to arrive.
Red 8T probably home to nest
April 12, 2013
Yesterrday (11th April) I received a local report that Red 8T was back at the nest with another bird – there was nothing there when I visited on 9th but another person saw one bird on 10th. Let’s hope it’s Red 8T. There was also an earlier report of a satellite tagged bird in Cornwall but no proof that it was definitely Red 8T. I’ll check on my next monitoring visit to the ospreys in Badenoch & Strathspey
Over most of Sahara
April 12, 2013
Rothiemurchus flew NE through Mauritania on 8th and roosted south of Chinguetti after 256 kms and next day flew north to roost just south of Fderik iron ore mine. On 10th he made a 370 km long loop up through Western Sahara and on 11th flew 273 km to roost last night 35 km NE of Smara. Today he will be heading for the Atlas Mountains
April 8th – 9th
April 10th – 11th
Heading north over the Sahara
April 10, 2013
Rothiemurchus flew 265 km on 8th April NE through Mauritania and at dusk settled to roost just SW of Chinguetti. Next morning he was migrating by 9am and had changed heading to north and by 1400GMT was 90 km north, flying north at 51kph.
April 8th – 9th
Beatrice back home
April 10, 2013
On 8th April Beatrice was on her way at 9am and at midday flew north over Ballater in Deeside. She flew on north and spent the time from 2pm to 5pm visiting osprey nests in East Moray, where she bred a few years ago. By 7pm she had flown in past her nest but decided to roost overnight in woods about a km away. At 7am on 9th April she was back on the nest and I watched her during the morning on the nest with her mate. The nest is ready – fish are probably difficult to catch because of the cold winds so it will be some days before she lays her eggs and a new incubation starts.
Setting off NE over the Sahara Desert
April 8, 2013
On 7th April, Rothiemurchus flew north to Nouakchott and then set off NE towards the Sahara Desert and by dusk when he settled to roost he had flown 255 km
April 7th
Tough going in wintry weather
April 7, 2013
Beatrice crossed the Firth of Forth from Aberlady to Dysart after 10am, and then slowly across Fife and the Tay estuary before meanderiung in Angus and settling to roost early just north of Coupar Angus.
April 7th
Slow progress through Wales and England
April 7, 2013
The cold wintry weather with bitter NE winds has delayed Beatrice’s migration through UK but as I write on Sunday morning looking at the snow falling in Moray there’s nothing here for an osprey to rush home for!
On 4th April she made just 38 km from near Oswestry north to roost overnight neat Eaton Hall. On 5th she was on the river there from 5am to 7am looking for a fish and then slowly travelled north via Manchester and Blackburn to roost that night on the River Ribble south of Hurst Green after just 9okm. Yesterday she set off slowly north but with the bad weather I would not expect her to go far – I’ll check her nest today to see if her mate is back.
April 4th
April 5th
