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Tracking Loch Garten Ospreys : July 2011- May 2012

Sue C
16/07/2011 14:19

I offered yesterday to start a new Topic once Bynack had fledged, but as we now have the updated Satellite Tracking page, and biography pages for Tore and Bynack, and there are some tracking results for Tore on Google Earth, I’ve gone ahead with it.

A brief introduction to the ospreys we’re tracking – first, the class of 2011.

Tore – link to her Biography

Tore is the elder of this year’s juveniles, her ring is blue/white 48. She fledged on Tuesday 12th July aged 54 days, and has started to do a little exploring.   

Bynack – link to his Biography

Tore’s younger brother, ring blue/white 47. Bynack is aged 53 days today and has yet to fledge.

Edit: He has fledged, at 10.18 am today 16/7. 

Rothes – link to her Biography

Rothes is the eldest of EJ and Odin’s offspring, hatched at Loch Garten in 2009. Her ring is white/black PJ. She migrated as a juvenile to Guinea-Bissau, and spent her formative months on the small island of Unhocomozinho, in the Bijagos Archipelago. Now a sub-adult, she has travelled north to Europe for the first time this summer and is currently in the Gironde estuary in SW France, where she also spent 6 weeks on her way south in 2009. So far, she has not returned to the UK.

Rothes' earlier travels were followed in this thread, now closed.  

  • 28/07/2011 03:18 in reply to Tiger

    Tiger

    I've found his website, nigel-snellphotography.com. I will leave a message for him via the contact form, inviting him to join us here. 

    Edit: OK done - message reads:

    Nigel

    Hello from the Loch Garten Ospreys group on the RSPB Community site. We’ve seen a photo of an osprey you posted on Sat 23/7 on Birdforum, taken at Port Maubert on the Gironde, with a white Darvic ring on the left leg and which you said was carrying a satellite transmitter. We believe this is Rothes, ring White PJ, hatched at the Loch Garten nest in 2009. The transmitter is still working, and we know Rothes has been staying very close to Port Maubert since late June. This is her story to date: http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/b/lochgartenospreys/archive/2009/04/06/rothes.aspx

    If this is Rothes, you are the first person to have photographed her since she left Loch Garten in 2009 and we would love to hear from you on our Forum, especially if you have any more photos:

    http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/f/915.aspx  

    Regards, Sue C 

     

  • 28/07/2011 03:25 in reply to Sue C

    Alan, That did cross my mind but then we do know that young birds have been incorrectly sexed.

  • 28/07/2011 03:35 in reply to Brenda H

    Great news! Looking at Port Maubert on Google Earth, it absolutely has to be Rothes.

  • 28/07/2011 03:57 in reply to Rachel

    Major excitement.  Dear Rothes.  She (he??) loves to keep us on our toes.  Many many thanks for sending your message Sue.  Rothes' story continues to unfold.  Wonderful to see the photograph.

  • 28/07/2011 04:02 in reply to Emma Peel

    As you can see I have now managed to post on BirdForum. I had to change to Firefox.

    Tiger Signature

  • 28/07/2011 04:13 in reply to Tiger

    Rothes was sexed by Roy so it would be unlikely he made a mistake. Also weighed in at 1646g which is quite heavy for a male although lighter than Garten and Mallachie and was the first to hatch so why lighter than the other two sibblings - I thought Rothes to be female but now thinking she is maybe a he especially being the lighter of the three and it may have been the excellent feeding that made him heavier than average males. Some nests do DNA sample to ascertain sex but not sure if LG do this. Certainly has a white darvik ring on left leg and if some person spotted the aerial it only can be either Rothes or Mallachie if she is not history. Although some are saying the bird is male it easily could be female there is light brown bibbing although not as distinctive as an older female. Could it be Mallachie or Rothes. Or Rothes could be male - the story unfolds.

  • 28/07/2011 15:00 in reply to Keith Rogers

    more about Rothes - the photographer Nigel Snell has already replied to me by email and he says: 

    *************************************************************************

    Hi Sue,

    WOW!!!!! I'm amazed by this. I just saw Rothes for a few minutes around Port Maubert, last Friday, 22 July. She was in the company, as it were, of a few Black Kites and at first I thought she was another Kite. Once she was overhead, I realised she was an Osprey. I have a number of shots, but as the light was rubbish, so they're not great. One does clearly show the PJ ring. Rothes returned a while later and had a fish in her Talons, carried Fore and aft, confirming that I was indeed looking at an Osprey.

    I'm unable to send any pics tonight but I'll sort this tomorrow morning. I've also emailed the owner of the house where I stayed with the link you sent. He had reported that an earlier guest thought he had seen an Osprey in the area. He is very interested in the birdlife in the area also.

    Thanks so much for contacting me and I will sort some more pictures for you.

    Regards,

    Nigel
    nigel snell
    www.nigel-snellphotography.com


    *********************************************************************************

    I have asked whether he is OK with the photos being reproduced here, and am also awaiting his reply on that. The owner of his holiday cottage, Howard, is therefore the BirdForum poster "dustspeck". I'm going out this morning, but will catch up later. Exciting!  

  • 28/07/2011 15:13 in reply to Sue C

    Thanks Sue for you progressing this - looking forward to any pictures that Nigel can show us all. The debate now is Rothes He or She.

  • 28/07/2011 16:22 in reply to Keith Rogers

    Thanks SueC for chasing this up. I must say I had my doubts but now convinced it is indeed Rothes.