Yesterday, 2nd April, Yellow HA departed the French coast at 1113GMT and made a straight line for the Channel Islands, passing west side of Jersey at 1205 at 897 metre above the sea. He passed over the Casquets at 1251 and rose to cross the channel at 1500 m. The new transmitters giving data at minute intervals. At 1358 (2.58pm BST) he was west of Portland Bill, coming ahsore near Chideock he headed for Bridgewater Bay aan crossed to Barry in South Wales at 4.51pm. He headed NNW and roosted the nigh just north of the Dyfi estuary at Pennal-Isaf after a flight of 530 km.

This morning he fished on the Dyfi estuary and then rested in trees just 500 metres from the Dyfi osprey nest 9.25 to 10.42am – obviously just checking out the birds an site – before heading NNW.

Migration April 2nd

Track showing minute intervals passing Sark at 1228GMT 2nd April

Yellow HA was still at Santona estuary at 0933GMT and not long after set off NNE straight over the Bay of Biscay. At 1344hrs he flew over Ile d’Yeu and then over St Nazaire before settling for the night close to Etang de Comper, near Mauron.  A day’s flight of 531 km, 428 km over the ocean.

April 1st migration across Bay of Biscay

Yellow HA stopping off in the estuary

Yellow HA roosted last night near the estuary at Santander and today flew a short way east to the big Santona estuary where he spent the day. This is a favourite migratory stop off for ospreys in spring and autumn.

Yellow HA left his roost site which was down in the banks of the river west of Toledo at 9am.  Yesterday, he had flown 650 km from Morocco. At 4pm today (latest signal) he was over the Cantabrian mountains heading for the Bay of Biscay and had altered course to NE. he had already flown 360 km and was flying at 50 km/h at an altitude of 1575 metres. He was about 200 km ahead of Blue XD.  Making very good time now.

March 28th

On 26th March Yellow HA flew north for over 280 km in Morocco and roosted north of a reservoir near Sidi Slimane. He set off early the next morning and at 8.06am was flying north at 52km/h direct towards Tangier. The weather was cloudy with south-west winds and he should have made a good crossing but no more data came in. Hopefully this is because last evening he was somewhere in the Spanish mountains out of mobile phone mast contact.

March 26th – 27th

Yellow HA pushed on north and  crossed in Western Sahara at 1426GMT on 20th March , and by midday on 21st was heading north over the desert

March 20th -21st

Yellow HA has migrated on a more westerly track so has picked up a mobilephone mast. He roosted overnight on 17th/18th near Lac d’Guiers and on 18th flew 252 km N then NNNE inland of Nouakchott through Mauritania.  On 19th March he flew 232 km NNW and then NNE; his soar and glide path was very pronounced so he was getting great lift over the deserts. At 1427GMT he started to soar from 704 metres and by 1434 topped out at 2329 metres, below gliding north – finally roosting in the desert at 1822GMT

March 18th – 19th

Yellow HA has flown towards the Sahara Desert and will be out of mobile phone mast range until he approaches Morocco – so we have to wait until then to learn his timings and tracks over the desert.