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
JSB You comment about coastal dangers reminds me of T09 a bird translocated to Rutland in 2000. She came to a halt not far from the north coast of Spain. One theory was that a tired bird was brought down by being mobbed by raptors. Interestingly it was a sibling of two other famous birds viz. 8 (97) and 06 (01).
Tiger: Hi, we should maybe think more about 'mobbing' as it occurs frequently. Albeit on a sample of one, my sighting of the osprey at Weir Wood last month was having to contend with the annoyance of two terns. The terns probably were objecting to the visitor stealing their fish.
Kate: Re the question about crossing the UK coastline. My guess is that Rothes is headed for the Gironde, France, where she will stay for a long time, before returning south. She was there as you may know, for five or six weeks in 2009.
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data Site
Sat track schedule Spring 2014
LG 7 days; RW & SWT nil; LDOP varies
Anyone else seen the latest update for Rothes?
It goes like this......
12th June - Rothes finally completes the desert crossing
13th June - she flies over the Atlas Mts and roosts just NW of Marrakech
14th June - Rothes appears to be heading NW for the coast and the crossing to Europe - but then turns east and embarks on a 4 day tour of central Morocco!
I am struggling to think of any good explanation for this!
SueC : Thanks for the update. I cant think of any explanation either. The only good thing about those locations are that most of them appear to be near rivers.
how about this explanation: he/she is a nutter
Sue C: Likewise, it is 'unusual', but we do not really know what is usual for these young birds, perhaps they are just enjoying the adventure and the need to breed has not occurred in their minds, to drive them on relentlessly. Maybe that comes later. Also as you will be aware the jagged patterns on GE caused by the sat fixes are more likely to be 'rounded' in real life smoothed out in curves by the effects on the wind. Looking at the GE photos of the region, I see a lot of rivers, some quite wide. Trees, good roads and nice houses add to the attractive scenery, so not a bad place to have a tour round.
Thanks for the latest updates on Rothes. I think you are correct that people really don't know the migration patterns of these young birds. Look at the exploring Dennis's Rothie is doing. He rushed to get back and now he is all over the map too . He took a day trip to England LOL
This may be normal for their first migrations. If my memory is correct the Juvenile intruders don't show up until the chicks are nearly ready to fledge.
Formerly known as Barbara Jean
Unknown said: This may be normal for their first migrations. If my memory is correct the Juvenile intruders don't show up until the chicks are nearly ready to fledge.
Barbara Jean This is true, but the reason is that "juvenile intruders" have only recently fledged from their own nests. Rothes and Rothiemurchus would be called sub-adults and have an adult appearence now - as I understand it, ospreys moult into their adult plumage during their second winter.
The only other 2 year old "returners" I have seen reported this summer are the four who returned to Rutland Water, who were first seen there from early May through to this week.
The only satellite-tagged UK osprey previously known to have returned as a two year old was 06(01), also at RW, where she arrived in late April and successfully bred!
So perhaps the answer is that there is no pattern. At the moment, Rothes' progress reminds me most of the southward journey of the Finnish female Mirja, in Summer & Autumn 2004.
If you yake out the Zig Zag and draw a straight line plot through all the deviations her route is not too disimilar to the journey from the Autumn of 2009. My bet if the weather is not too stormy over Europe we may see her in Sain next updates around 21/21 June and head NE towards Madrid and the border of France - follow the coast up France and settle in the La Gironde Estuary and make Dr Jones and us all happy.
Thanks to everyone for the regular updates - it was difficult following progress whilst away in the Sahara then Kenya - now back home adding all the details.
I think Rothes' recent tour in central Morocco was at least partly a fishing trip. I found this Youtube film of the river she was following on the 15th/16th June, which is the Oum Errabia river, known for its trout fishing.
I'm posting a query to LG in the blog about this point, where I think the altitude has been miskeyed.