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.  

  • Tore is making good progress, but needs to head a little further west:

  • Thanks Alan, yes Bynack has adjusted his track really well:

  • So they  think Rothes  tag has or is failing. I wonder if there was a stretch of  days with  no sun in her/his location and  that ran down the battery? Hopefully they may get intermittent  signals . We will  need to wait and see.

    At least  they got 2 years from this  tag. Mallachie's failed after  less than a  year.

    One thing they learned from Rothes is 2 year olds may start a Northern migration, but don't  always complete it.

    Maybe we need to tell Richard and the people at the center to  be on the lookout for a bird doing a " sky dance" rather than one laying eggs.  LOL  Rothes still looks like a male .

    Happy to see Bynack has altered his course a bit farther  West.  Tore is doing fine too.

    This has been an interesting season. The cold rainy Spring caused many nest failures, but those chicks that survived are doing very well. All 3 Dyfi juveniles made it to Africa and Tore and Bynack are doing well too.

    Formerly known as Barbara Jean

  • Bynack has almost joined up with 09's tracking which is what I mentioned yesterday would be nice never thinking that he actually would :-)

    Its been said before but everyone of these young bird is amazing at just over a 100 days old on their own they all seem to be doing fine.

    A very old Shropshire Lad.

  • Barbara C said:

    So they  think Rothes  tag has or is failing. I wonder if there was a stretch of  days with  no sun in her/his location and  that ran down the battery? Hopefully they may get intermittent  signals . We will  need to wait and see.

    Also, I wonder if it's significant that Rothes seemed to spend quite a lot of his/her holidays perched in the wood next to the sturgeon farm, with the solar panel possibly out of the sun? Could this have contributed to the loss of signal, if the battery is starting to lose its ability to hold a charge? If so, maybe the crossing of the Sahara will kickstart it again for a bit.  

  • Many interesting thoughts being brought here.  Thank you.  So far so good with the two of 2011.  I have just done an elevation trip of Tore and her route is quite high and with lots of huge ups and downs.  Time for a rest and a refuel I think!

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  • I've been looking at Bynacks route. Looks like he fished early morning on 28th

    Then as the day went on he got a bit confused

    But ended the day and over nighted here, and possibly fed.

  • As you say MOFFER, it rather looks as though Bynack didn't know whether he was coming or going on 28/29 September.  I wonder what went on then?

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

  • SheilaFE said:

    Many interesting thoughts being brought here.  Thank you.  So far so good with the two of 2011.  I have just done an elevation trip of Tore and her route is quite high and with lots of huge ups and downs.  Time for a rest and a refuel I think!

    It's a nice thought, Sheila. Unfortunately Tore has another 700km's of desert to cross before she has a chance of another meal.

  • Oh dear Sandy, thanks for that!!  700km of desert sounds dreadful, but I think I've seen info about ospreys doing huge distances in a day, and can last over five days without food, so I guess she is OK for now....?

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