The Further Adventures of Breagha

This is a continuation thread following the travels of osprey Breagha, hatched at Loch Garten in 2013. 

I put together this table to set out the big events of Breagha's life, and his migrations. I might continue trying to get it to display better, but the links to LG blogs seem to work. 

Sue 

2013

 

28 May

Breagha hatches, from EJ’s fourth egg

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/05/28/two-chicks-from-two-eggs.aspx

6 July

Breagha and older sibling Oighrig ringed & tagged

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/07/06/ringed-named-and-tagged.aspx

19 July

Fledges

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/07/19/sky-high.aspx

23 Aug

Leaves Loch Garten, roosts near Glenfarquhar Lodge, Aberdeenshire

24 Aug

Roosts on S side of R. Tay

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/08/25/where-are-they-now.aspx

25 Aug

Bentpath, Dumfries & Galloway

26 Aug

Nr. Newport, Pembrokeshire

27 Aug

Sheviock, Tamar Estuary, Cornwall

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/08/28/and-the-race-is-on.aspx

28 Aug

Crosses to France; roosts near Magneville, Cotentin peninsula, Manche

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/08/31/breagha-and-oighrig-tracking-update.aspx

29 Aug

Photographed perched in marshes near Carentan, Manche

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/09/01/brie-a-stops-to-say-quot-cheese-quot-in-france.aspx

http://forum.gonm.org/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=644&sid=e20177f729a4ff7adfb4f864daff352f&start=90

30 Aug

SE past Caen, roosts near L’Aigle, Orne

31 Aug

Turns south, roosts S of Le Mans, Sarthe

1 Sep – 4 Oct

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/09/04/oighrig-is-in-oighrig.aspx

Stopover near Loire/Vienne confluence; main roost Lac de Tetine, Savigny-en-Véron, Indre-et-Loire

5 Oct

Restarts migration, roosts Cabanac-et-Villagrains, Gironde

6 Oct

Into Spain, roosts Tagus basin nr Torrijos, La Mancha

7 Oct

R. Guadalquivir near Lora del Rio

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/10/09/there-39-s-change-now.aspx

8 Oct

Crosses to Morocco, roosts reservoir SE of Casablanca

9 Oct

Over Atlas Mts

10 Oct

Crosses Anti-Atlas mts

11 Oct

SE into Sahara, enters Mauritania

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/10/14/landfall-for-breagha-phew.aspx

12-14 Oct

Turns SW, 20km N of Senegal river on 14th

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/10/15/worry-ye-not-breagha-39-s-through-the-sahara-phew.aspx

16 Oct-25 Nov

Based Diawling NP area, SW Mauritania

26 Nov-

Travels south to Casamance region of Senegal, explores area S of river

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2013/12/08/breagha-is-exploring.aspx

All 2014

Settled on south side of Casamance, in mangrove swamps between Elinkin & Diantene

2015

 

Jan-Apr

Settled on south side of Casamance

26 May

Begins northwards migration; roosts near Bansang, Gambia

27 May

Data missing; flies through northern Senegal

28 May

Crosses Senegal river, roosts north of Lake Aleg, Mauritania

29 May

Roosts near N1 road, NE of Nouakchott

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2015/05/30/if-you-want-something-doing-do-it-yourself.aspx

30 May

On Mauritania/W Sahara border E of Nouadhibou

1 Jun

Spends time & roosts near Gulf of Cintra, W Sahara

2-5 June

Travels E then N to northern Mauritania/W Sahara border

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2015/06/09/breagha-is-moving-on-up.aspx

5 June

Reaches oasis of Tighmert, Morocco

6 June

Crosses Atlas Mts, roosts SW of Marrakesh

7 June

Roosts SW of Meknes

8 June

Crosses Straits of Gibraltar; roosts Guadarranque reservoir

9 June

Nr Luciana, Ciudad Real

10 June

Reaches Douro basin

11 June

Starts over Bay of Biscay, turns back to near San Sebastian

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2015/06/16/when-a-capercaillie-met-a-dodo.aspx

12-13 June

Crosses to France, takes rest day near Pontonx-sur-L’Adour, Landes

14 June

Eygurande-et-Gardedeuil, Dordogne

15 June

NW of Mansle, Charente

16 June

SE of Mollay, Maine-et-Loire

17 June

Begins stay in Touraine

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2015/06/23/breagha-is-in-france.aspx

19-20 Aug

Begins migration south, pauses N of Parthenay, Deux-Sevres

21 Aug

Nancras, Charente-Maritime

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2015/08/24/farewell-odin.aspx

22 Aug

Crosses Gironde to Medoc, travels E to Etang de Saint-Maigrin

23 Aug-13 Sep

Ranging between Etang de Saint-Maigrin & Gironde estuary; frequent roost Etang d’Allas

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2015/09/06/39-i-39-m-an-osprey-and-i-39-m-hungry-39.aspx

14 Sep

Static signal from wood nr. Saint-Dizant-du-Gua, Charente-Maritime

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2015/09/25/a-blog-of-two-halves.aspx

Tracker identified as Breagha’s, and some osprey feathers, later found by Noisette http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2015/10/19/breagha-s-tracker-found-by-jeremy-roberts.aspx

  • Thanks for further info Alan, much more helpful scenario (personally find Google Earth quite difficult!)

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • So Breagha's last signal is from a point real near to a fish farm. That seems ominous. 

  • Thank you for that Tiger, I was trying to make out what it was and had thought along the same lines. I think there was a suggestion earlier on that might be the case and I have a feeling Sturgeon were mentioned?

    What I can't understand is why there is a deathly silence re the search. Looking at Google Earth it seems the bird was 'lost' just inside the wood alongside a readily accessible track. If the French Authorities have such wide powers of access etc there seems to be little reason for there not to have been some form of result by now?.

  • Hazel b said:

    So Breagha's last signal is from a point real near to a fish farm. That seems ominous. 

    ...although the owner had no issues with Rothes' presence at the same spot, in fact possibly even in the same tree?
    Remember this Tiger? 
  • It might look like a readily accessible area but what you think is a track is a small canal. I know the spot well because there is a storks nest around there. It is also very close to the spot where we believed Rothes had built a nest, I was guided in by a local hunter from the direction of la Daugaterie & we skirted around the edge of the woods next to the canal. Unfortunately all the trees were cleared & nest was gone. If all those trees have now started to regrow there will be thick undergrowth to get through before you even get to the area.

    I'm keeping silence on the actual search because of my closeness to the ONCFS.

    Please be patient!

    Best wishes

    Hazel in Southwest France

  • I can see the path you mean Mike but that is around the edge of the fish farm, the canal runs bteween that & the woods, so no access from there, there are also numerous canals running crossways & with the high tides at the moment I think most of the woods are likely to be flooded.

    EDIT Now I know his last co-ordinates I might go over to the far side of the fish farm & take some photos to see if there are a lot of trees down in that area. ALAN : Any idea on the times of those 3 points on the 14th & that of the last point on the 13th where he was probably fishing at the resevoir at Allas?

    Best wishes

    Hazel in Southwest France

  • Rothes fixes in same wood in 2009

  • Here are a few photos of the woods taken from the other side of the fish farm, we go there counting cormorants & egrets in the winter & hunting stork nests in the summer,

    They don't show much of the lower half of the woods & that bit is further towards the fish farm,

    That was another one taken at the same time in 2009

    This Black kites nest is almost bang on where Breagha was, taken in summer last year

    Also taken last year this is a view of the east side of the woods taken from the road that runs from la Noué to le Sap, a good high point

    & this is a Sturgeon (male) from the fish farm which we were given for finding 2 females in the ditch when they should have been in the lakes!

    I'll definately go tomorrow & do some decent photos for you.

    Best wishes

    Hazel in Southwest France

  • Many thanks HinNH for showing us the bigger picture insight!

    Even if you are used to the area, just take care when you go foraging around!!

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr