This thread has been set up to follow the travels of Caledonia and Alba, the young ospreys raised at Loch Garten in 2012.
Their mother is “EJ”, the resident female at Loch Garten since 2003; there is some doubt about the identity of their biological father, given EJ’s dalliance with a male from a neighbouring nest, Blue XD, both before and after the return of her regular partner Odin, who raised them.
Caledonia hatched on 16th May and Alba on 18th May; they both fledged on 14th July.
This is a link to the Loch Garten blog describing the ringing and satellite tagging.
Caledonia’s ring is Blue/White AA1, reading downwards. Alba’s is Blue/White AA2, reading upwards.
Following the tracking
This page gives a quick overview of the routes on a map, which will be more useful once they start migrating.
If you want to look at the routes in more detail on Google Earth, this page contains instructions on setting up your PC to do this.
This blog contains some useful information about how the tracking works – we are now on a 3-day reporting period.
I remember doing this with Tore and Bynack! It's surreal now that it's two birds I've watched right from hatching.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Limpy says hello - poor thing, he's really frustrated - especially with the cameras, which are refusing to point at the dead tree when Odin is sitting in it!
I had a lovely afternoon at Minsmere today and saw three marsh harriers and some little egrets!
I wonder if Alba tried her talons at fishing at Portmore yesterday morning. If it's the one I think, it is stocked for fishing, so would be a good place for her to - hopefully - catch herself some breakfast.
Why is it such a worry to actually see where they are flying, wonderful things these trackers, but I dont know if I like knowing, I think I prefer as with EJ and Odin so sad to see them go, but thats it, and then elated when they come back next year, just me being soft but I dont need or want to know the bit in the middle.
The more you rush, the longer it takes
New blog from Richard. Awaiting GE update.
The most recent co-ordinates that we have for Caledonia shows her to have been mid-English Channel yesterday at 3pm, so hopefully she made landfall in France later yesterday afternoon but quite where, we'll not know more until Monday now, which is frustrating. This will have been her first sea crossing, so here's hoping. Caley went from Harrogate in Yorkshire, to near Lowestoft on the Suffolk coast on 22nd. On 23rd she left the coast around Aldeburgh and flew over Thames estuary to Folkstone, past Hastings to near Eastbourne, leaving the south coast of England at 1pm and at 3pm was halfway across La Manche.
Meantime Alba is near Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. She appears to have over-nighted near Warrington on 22nd, then travelled east of Wrexham, south of Shrewsbury then was near Merthyr Tydfil at 9pm on 24th.
Loch Garten stats. and All the important links for LG.
ooooooooh, she was in S Wales and really close to me!! She most probably flew over my house! I keep looking North everyday from my kitchen window and got my camera ready!!
If nothing goes right, go left! :-)
A song for Alba here
Tiger Signature
These birds never cease to amaze me. Hoping and willing them a safe journey and hope Alba just veers a little to the east to make her sea journey short.
Its all exciting again!!
(Like the Welsh song, Tiger!)