Tracking Loch Garten Ospreys : July 2011- May 2012

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.

Torelink 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.  

  • I just came here to ask the same thing about the Loch Garten ospreys on Ray Mears.  I thought it must be Lady too.  The nest was at a secret location.  I loved that Roy Dennis said that ospreys are very good indeed at doing nothing - I knew we were soul-mates ;-)

    I notice that the ad break in the Ray Mears programme is very short, shows how few the advertisers think will be watching.  They should consider the QUALITY  of viewer as well as the quantity ;-)

  • Neither Lady/Laird or EJ/Odin SANDY and SCYLLA- a pair of Roy's other birds

    The nest did not have the bracing 'pole' that EJ's does and Lady's nest actually overlooks the loch in a living evergreen pine. The Ospreys themseleves looked nothing like EJ or  Odin or Lady or Laird. Interesting !  I look forward to Ray's other episodes.

  • scylla  I agree I am definitely soppy at "our" ospreys.  Love Bynack for the feisty little soul he is and as you say Tore is a star in her own way.  So far it has been a joy watching them this year and long may it continue.

    As others have mentioned the Ray Mears programme confused me a bit when they started mentioning the ages of the ospreys.

    Margobird

  • moffer said:

    Thanks Valmc. I was going by age. Roy Dennis said that the female was 20 and the male was 15 years old. I noticed that the male had a blue leg ring on, but I couldn't make out the number. Anyone know who these birds are?

    Let us say there are supposed to be a number of nests around Loch Garten.

  • That would explain it Tiger :o)

    I only questioned it as I thought that Lady was 20, and she is the oldest breeding female osprey in Scotland. As I said, it doesn't take a lot to confuse me these days, lol.

  • moffer said:

    OH Scylla, Soppy you.... and ME TOO. I feel the same way!

    And me

  • Many thanks, Margo, for the heads up on the Ray Mears programme.  I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Caledonian Forest and the habitat our lovely birds live in for part of the year.  Having never been up there, it's made me want to plan a visit :)

  • I really enjoyed the Ray Mears programme, straight to the point, full of information and no silliness like there is on Autumn Watch, however I did watch bits of Autumn Watch, especially the clips on Eineon, Leri and Dulas, I hope they put all those clips together somewhere, maybe they are on the DYFI website, I will go take a look.  

    Scylla, Lady's age is estimated at 26 years, she has returned to Loch of the Lowes 21 years, such an amazing feat, I was so glad that I got to see her a couple of weeks before she departed for Africa, I pray that she returns again next year, if not I will chose to believe she has just decided to retire to warmer climes and not that anything untoward has happened to her (talk about burying one's head in the sand) ha ha.... 

    I think SueC cleared up the matter of where the nest was on Ray Mears programme and which birds they were, she reported it here

     

  • Sheryl W said:

    Many thanks, Margo, for the heads up on the Ray Mears programme.  I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Caledonian Forest and the habitat our lovely birds live in for part of the year.  Having never been up there, it's made me want to plan a visit :)

     

    Sheryl Loch Garten is a magical place as I found out when I volunteered for a week back in June.  If you can do go when the osprey season starts again, you will not regret.  Bynack and Tore mean that much more to me having had the pleasure of watching them together with,, EJ and Odin.

    Margobird

  • Unknown said:

    I really enjoyed the Ray Mears programme

    Me too, no nonsense, as you say.

     

    Scylla, Lady.... (talk about burying one's head in the sand)

     

     

    I am sorry that all I know about her is seeing others talk about her - this being my first season I couldn't venture far into the ether doing any investigating.  Was so sad that her eggs failed.

    As for burying one's head in the sand, it's a very sensible tactic, the only one that frees us from non-stop fretting ;-)

     

    Margo, thanks to the webcam I do feel very close to EJ, Odin, Tore and Bynack, and can imagine how wonderful it must be for you, having seen the family in the flesh :o