Osprey sightings 2014

I was at the RSPB Loch of Strathbeg centre on Friday and one of the team stopped me as I came out of the car to let me know that an osprey had been reported over the village of St Combs. He said that it was a reliable source. When I suggested that this was a bit early for ospreys, he said that they thought it was a young male who had never left. It has been a remarkably mild winter so far here on the coast of Aberdeenshire, far from the mountains of the Cairngorms where I believe they have had some snow. I suppose we have to remember the female Desert Wheatear which spent a fair bit of winter last year not far from St Combs at Rattray. The chap was hopeful the osprey would turn up at Strathbeg eventually. Ospreys often fish in one of the pools, admittedly not in January!

Thanks for the update, Deveronside. Hopefully someone else will see (and photograph) this bird in the interests of resolving the question definitely one way or the other. Mild winter or not, it still seems hugely unlikely - but I would expect RSPB staff to be good judges of who is a reliable observer.

Wonder if anyone has mentioned this to Roy Dennis, and what his reaction would be? He has suggested that ospreys might, in future, winter as far north as Brittany, at least in a good year...

Deveronside - Roy Dennis reported in Life of Ospreys (Sorry I am on my travels and do not have my book with me) taking an osprey in after he found one in the North of Scotland in December and this was the latest he had seen an osprey in Scotland.

The osprey was in poor condition and died the next day.

The problem will be if we do get a freeze around Fraserburgh/Peterhead area then we may have a similar situation.

Wonder why it has not migrated.

Indeed. Here is the latest update from Strathbeg's website:

'A rather unusual bird sighting this week in the form of an osprey.   It was seen by two different people.  Firstly, over the village of St Combs on the 8th and 9th and then over Savoch Farm just west of the reserve on Saturday 10th.   It is the earliest record of osprey in Scotland ever.   I think its fair to say that this bird is a long way from where it should be at this time of year.'  

deveronside said:

Indeed. Here is the latest update from Strathbeg's website:

'A rather unusual bird sighting this week in the form of an osprey.   It was seen by two different people.  Firstly, over the village of St Combs on the 8th and 9th and then over Savoch Farm just west of the reserve on Saturday 10th.   It is the earliest record of osprey in Scotland ever.   I think its fair to say that this bird is a long way from where it should be at this time of year.'  

Link to the website is here

France, Pyrennes-Atlantique:

Monday, January 13th, 2014

Château Planterose / Moumour (64)

1 Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

[Anonymous by Sylvain Tardy ]

Comment :

obs Olivier Maigre, oiseau en halte

Detail : 1x (stationary)

France,Aude:

mardi 14 janvier 2014

le payroulet / Fleury (11)

1 Balbuzard pêcheur (Pandion haliaetus)

[Yves Tremauville (LPO Héraul) ]

Remarque :

est parti pêcher un poisson vers Pissevaches

Cheers MIKE - That is the one at Grudie Power Station - did not have my book with me on my travels.

Strathbeg - Is it however the earliest known returning or the latest known to leave ?.

LOL Keith!  I suspect it is late to leave.  Most odd though.  What must it be thinking of all the sno, which I feel must be around, or further inland perhaps!

Another thought, could it have been a Scandinavian bird, late to leave and having a rest before it heads on further south.  We will never know.  I hope that Strathbeg continues to report on its presence though.