I am not sure if we should have separate threads for Rothes and Mallachie. If people feel we should the best start them right away.
The first data has been published on Google Earth and immediately it is amazing how much further Rothes has flown that Mallachie.
Tiger Signature
That is an interesting one Sue. Only time will tell.
These are to clarify my post to Caroline in the Blog, about the keying error in Google Earth, which makes it look as if Rothes flew a 470mile return trip from the Mid Atlas Mts back to Marrakech, early on 17th June.
The first one shows the rogue “point” dated 17th June, in the area N of Marrakech where Rothes spent the night of 13th/14th. The last point for the 13th is right by the roadside, so I suspect she moved a few hundred metres NE to find somewhere more secluded to roost, continued initially NNW on the 14th, and did not in fact return to the area on the 17th.
The second one shows the roost in the mid Atlas Mountains NE of Boulemane on 16th/17th. Rothes’ route shows the erroneous diversion back to Marrakech, but I think this should just show her arriving from the SW, shifting position during the night and continuing N on the 17th.
Conclusion - the way to correct the error is to change the first point on the 17th to be the first point on the 14th.
SueC: Thanks for that. Makes much more sense now.
The above glitch has been sorted out in a new update:
Rothes may have dipped her talons in the Med on the night of 18th/19th but seemingly didn't fancy the crossing, and on the morning of the 21st was approaching the Atlantic coast.
Thanks, Sue. Update didn't show up when I looked at Google Earth a minute ago, so good to see it here (I was just thinking it was about due).
Interesting... Maybe she decided it didn't look enough like her southward route, so backtracking for somewhere a bit more familiar...? Last point was 2 days ago, though - she could have covered quite a bit of ground (or sea) since then, though it seems a bit unlikely judging by what she has done so far.
I think she is still developing her radar! Rachel I agree it does look as if she didn't like the look of the Mediterranean. But the fact that she headed so far SW may mean she is, or thinks she is confused. "If I'm lost let me backtrack a bit and see where I may have taken the wrong turn/missed the exit"....
I am so glad she found the Barage Idriss 1er and other reservoirs.
Sue, re your comment: were you telling me or agreeing about pictues and place names? I do have them turned on (interestingly the labels don't seem to occur on small bodies of water) but find the pictures unreliable because there is often so much variation amongst them as well as difference from the topography. In this part of the world some of those variations could well be seasonal shifts. And then there are pictures that are obviously placed in the wrong location.
Every time I log on it appears to be a 2-day lag in information -- is that about right? If so, she could be in Spain or Portugal by now! I do hope she makes it to France this year. Come on Rothes, there are taller trees further north... Phew, this is nail-biting!
ROTHES LATEST: As of 9pm on 25th June (hermost recent point) Rothes was near Ain Aksab. She went N to close to the Foret Diplomatique,near the coast, dropped S again, went N back up to near Bni Wassine close to Tangier, then dropped S again to her current final point. She's teasing us - not yet quite ready to cross the Straits of Gibralter into Europe.......
Total distance travelled is approx 148 miles, 233 km.
Thanks Alan. When I checked late last night it still read June 21 and I don't have GE at work.
Do you have any idea why she is doing this? It is becoming clear to me that this crossing is a major psychological boundary. Southern Spain to northern Scotland seem more alike and separate from Africa. Perhaps she does not have the clear imperative to go, as she is still a young adult. Perhaps she remembers it as a longer crossing than it is, based upon her route in 2009 (as I remember without the map in front of me). Perhaps spending more than 1 1/2 years in Africa makes it feel like home.
Singing Bird : We dont know why she is not flying directly to the UK with maybe a stopover of a few days as Rothiemurchus did. Maybe young females are different and this is normal behaviour for at least some of them. Every time we think there is a hard and fast rule for ospreys they prove us wrong. It is fascinating to watch and learn.
We have two examples of young females migrating north. There was Mirja in Finland and Penelope in the USA.
Mirja took about 1st April 2004 to 4th June 2004 ( ca. 64 days)
Penelope took from 2nd April 2010 to 1st June 2010 ( ca. 60 days)