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
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.
Tiger Signature
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?.
Birdies LG DU update.
Hazel b said: So Breagha's last signal is from a point real near to a fish farm. That seems ominous.
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?
Rothes fixes in same wood in 2009
Rothes fixes 2011
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.
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!!