OIGHRIGHe has been busy over the last week having travelled at least 200 km exploring the area between N Joal-Fadiouth and the Gambia border. He must have set off on 11 November and at 17.00 GMT was 50 km SE of Joal-Fadiouth flying SSW over the Delta du Saloum NP. On 12 November he was further S and at 17.00 GMT he was some 6 km S of the town of Missira and 4 km N of the Gambia border. On 13 November at 17.00 GMT he was back at the point where he was on the previous morning but on 14th at 09.00 GMT he was 9 km E and by 17.00 GMT was 24 km further E and 14 km SW of the town of Toubakouta. By 17.00 GMT on 15 November he was 75 km NW and back to his ‘normal’ area N of Joal-Fadiouth. On this journey he was recorded most times as stationary near wetland areas so perhaps he was exploring new fishing areas for future reference.
BREAGHAHe appears to have settled into a strange routine. At 09.00 GMT on 9, 11-13 and 15 November he has been about 20km NE of his current overnight roost spot but back at this area at 17.00 GMT. The Google Earth and ArcGis Explorer maps for the area are not easy to translate but do not look like wet land areas. They are largely open expanses amongst more wooded areas so perhaps they are small lakes which are not showing as such because of the mismatch between timing of the maps and seasonal changes. I do not have access to any more detailed maps which help.
CALEDONIA She appears to have stayed around the Rio Guadalquivir where the fishing must be good. At 16.00 GMT on 10 November she was flying N over the Rio near the La Cartuja Olympic Stadium in N Seville and on 13 November at 08.00 GMT was flying SSE over the Rivera De Huelva some 2 km NW of the Rio. Perhaps she had roosted overnight on her old haunt of the Huelva. The weather in the Seville area is around the mid-teens for most of the day and dry so there appears to be no incentive to move very far.
We are now on weekly downloads on Saturdays and the next blog update will be on Monday, 25 November.