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The hunt for Breagha

I thought I'd start a new thread on this as "The adventures of Breagha" are probably over. My continued frustration at not being able to visit the site was overcome at the weekend when someone who I have known for some years by name & had already contacted me by email about Breagha decided he'd like to help me in the serach. He scouted around the outside of the woods on Saturday & then contacted me to arrange a joint visit which we did on Monday 13th October, a month after Breagha sent in signals from the same spot , thus signalling there was a problem. I know downloads were at 3 days at this point, so i am still at a loss as to why a search was not instigated straight away, in case Breagha was injured. However it was not. As far as I can work out, the only official search that has taken place was by 2 agents of the ONCFS, one local & one from Chizé area )where he had been working with members of the RSPB) on Saturday 26th September. They found some wing feathers & took photos. The feathers are still in the local office. There is no ongoing enquiry & no plans to go back to the serach area. 

So Alain & I set off into the woods. They are very overgrown but there is a hunters trail that I knew which took us to the area of his last signals, opposite the track that runs between the last 2 lagoons.

This is a typical view in the woods (sorry about the photos, it was quite sombre & had the camera on automatique)

This is a typical "bridge"

& this was a trickier one which the hunters had thoughtfully put some extra hand holds on.

& then we were there, Alain went on ahead & I stood & looked & thought no hope here & there it was, a few half buried feathers. I pulled them out & called Alain & then remembered to take photos. We found part of a wing with bones intact. It was fresh, you could see the blood & bones weren't all brown. Close-up photos later on. We marked the area & I can find it easily again, about 20 m from the edge of the wood & close to my storks nest. Nearby was a big tall tree that he must have been sitting in. These are the photos of the spot

Thats my bin bag that I took just in case, from a distance you can see why they were missed, just really lucky to have found them,

& from another direction you could see some feathers in the ivy, probably blew up & got caught when the animal carried off the rest of Breagha

These are the tall trees nearby,

& the same one's lower down

We had a good look around the area but no sign of the body or other feathers so came home. We then took pictures of the feathers & they seem to match photos in the book but need an expert to be sure. However Alain pointed out 2 feathers that showed possible signs of passage of lead shot, the "hairs" on the feather had been broken off halfway down. This is a closeup of one. Its towards the end of the 2nd feather down. However there is no certainty in this.

For the experts I've put in a "foot" ruler for size

Close up of wing & bone

& other side, which for me points to Osprey underwing

Hopefully Mike will come back to me to say what needs to be done. I think they should be x-rayed to see if there is any trace of lead in them. Also the feathers found by the oncfs should be dealt with. I'm quite happy to post back to uk but for any follow-up enquiry they should be dealt with here first.

After getting home I was back out in the afternoon counting Stone Curlews with the ONCFS & quizzed them so that's how I know there's nothing else happening, at least as far as they know. 

I know I said I'd wait for the RSPB blog, but this is my story & I'm sharing it with you. If the feathers are not an Osprey then I apologise sincerely & I hope that seeing the feathes did not distress you too much. If anyone can positively come on & identify them then that would be good too.

I'm off out again this afternoon, more Stone Curlews. And big thank-you to my knight in shining armour, Alain, who read my distress in the emails & came to my rescue. I can sleep nights now!

Best wishes

Hazel in Southwest France

  • I am so pleased for you Noisette, and wish you and Alain, and the team good luck.  You have been brilliantly persistent in your wish to help to find the answers.  I am sure that LG will share in your delight if you are successful.

    Birdie's DU Summaries 2018   https://www.imagicat.com/

  • Thankyou Sheila, I won't be posting until tuesday at least, as I've promised any results of the search to Loch Garten first. I just hope we can find out some more.

    Best wishes

    Hazel in Southwest France

  • HinNH, so heartening to hear that you are still as keen to try to unravel the mystery of what happened to Breagha - lots of info in that blog from LG at last!

    Wish you & Alain decent weather & more success & hope you both manage to drum up some more eyes to help you out!

    Shall look forward to further updates as & when possible & will be thinking of you!

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • Thank you Wendy, I can't let it drop & nor can Alain!!

    We've launched an appeal for volunteers HERE & have had 1 volunteer phone so far. I don't know how many will turn out but I'm doing my best to drum up support. I'll keep in touch anyway.

    Best wishes

    Hazel in Southwest France

  • Hi H, read your appeal, Google translation throws up some 'interesting' words!

    Take great care please!

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • It sure does WendyB. The jist is bring wellies and lunch!!

    Good luck Hazel

  • Thank you Hazel for all your are doing to solve the mystery of Breagha.   I was volunteering the week he finally fledged and had rather a soft spot for him.

    Not wishing to upset anyone but I would also like to say a few words in defence of what the employees of RSPB and in particular Abernethy and LG Osprey Centre for what they may or may not be doing and thinking (in our minds!) and this is one of the reason I contributed very little this year.    For those of us who are able to travel there freely during Osprey season will know exactly how attached the team become to the EJ/O and any offspring they have.  They were openly devastated when they thought something had happened to Odin, and indeed unbeknown to many of the armchair viewers conducted searches for him, I even witnessed some of them struggle to hold it together as eggs were kicked out of the nest.  They are equally attached to the offspring, which I witnessed when Alba fledged and went missing immediately and remained missing overnight.  I think they often get a hard time and cant appear to do right for doing wrong.   We are mere viewers into the world of wild creatures and I have witnessed many times how viewers set hares running on what think is or isn't actually happening.   A lot of the employees, whilst loving animals have to be able to take a step back and have a detached view, otherwise they would sit around weeping constantly and want to interfere with the natural course of events, which of course humans should never do.  We somestimes have to remember this is nature in the raw, we don't have to like it, but nor can we continually sit back and critize others and compare what one visitor centre, compared to another does.  

  • I quite agree, however we all get attached to these birds & sometimes when things don't seem to be happening it's natural to kick out. I apologise if I've upset anyone, I just want to move on now.

    I've been asked as to whether there are any metal parts in the satellite transmitter that would make a metal detctor a useful tool in finding it & therefore the body too. It could be down a fox or badger hole & not in view. Anyone any idea?

    Best wishes

    Hazel in Southwest France

  • I do not doubt everything you have posted is true Lmac, however they have always been extremely slow to provide updates.  If they don't want criticism or speculation all they have to do is provide a short blog.  Armchair viewers open their purses as well.

  • H, the BTO ring is a light metal alloy & the aerial of the tracker could be metal also unless they use carbon fibre for lightness!  

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr