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.
Unknown said:Four years after tagging, the transmitter started giving a static signal.
Yes but that is exactly what is supposed to happen after four years. Most of the ospreys we are talking about have had their tracker fitted less than a year before.
Tiger Signature
I have a theory and know it may sound crazy, and no disrespect to African people, but if the ospreys who suddenly go MIA and have unusual sat tag readings as with ALBA,and Leri, well if it is not predated and is down to human intervention, it could be that the people responsible, may be superstitous and take the tag with them, or just to hide it and maybe try to get some money for it, (who knows) well there I've said it. What ever we sumise about, will not bring these birds back, and unless there are more people in the wintering grounds like Federik, then why keep tagging them, it doesn't seem to help them in any way, not just now, but as more people who care for them are deployed in the relevant areas to interact with the local people who may hunt or put the osprey in danger in some way (fishing nets-and hook and lines) until then just leave them free and hope to spot them again with coloured ring numbers, why waste time and money on tagging, especially as they are prone to faults and could be used as targets too. I am not saying I'm totally against tagging, just that more thought needs to go into man power where osprey winter to help protect them.
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
NiteOwl, well said I agree with you.
Thanks Lowry, I didn't want to come across as a crazy person with my ideas, glad I'm not on my own with these thoughts. :)
NiteOwl, I think i'd be satisfied with just leg ring id.
Unfortunately I do have to agree with Tiger on this one. I do not think we will see any of the seven out of eight birds lost in recent years tagged from Loch Garten.
Statistics do point that once a transmitter is lost we do not see this bird again.
COST - Eight birds @ £3000 = £24,000 plus download costs estimating £700 per year per bird. We have lost seven of these eight and a long way to go with the eighth and the only return is that we know Deshar went in the wrong direction and his demise was the Atlantic Ocean. As for the other six apart from the fact we assume and that is pretty conclusive that they are dead we are in a no better position what happened to these birds.
COST of telling us that the birds migrate and where they migrate to (We know this now). It has told us that most of these birds are lost at their wintering grounds as opposed to migration (We know this now). What other information are we gaining going forward.
Sorry this is a thread about Tracking Caledonia and Alba not about the merits of tracking. There is a thread about the merits of tracking here
Thank you Tiger - I will repost - Switch Channels if you wish to read otherwise as I expect you may not wish to.
Funny you ask on this other Channel - "What do you think of tagging now" so am pleased to leave my answer over there.
Alba seemed to be in a relatively safe place compared to most who winter in Senegal. And these transmitters don't come cheap, so surely a follow-up would be cost effective with a view to recovering, and re-using, the transmitter. As for Alba's demise, I am suspicious of human predation - it wouldn't be the first time in that area around Senegal and my heart sank when she went there. I don't feel happy about the other birds that are there either.
Emotions aside: as well as the other things mentioned, perhaps she got into difficulty in the water and was carried by it some distance from the original point. These birds are not much more than babies and they must lose more fish than they catch, until they perfect their technique. Surely that takes longer than a few months and perhaps the reason why so many perish. Wild fish, as opposed to fish 'born in captivity' in farms, would have a higher awareness of being predated and would be more skillful in avoidance tactics - at least imagine this would be so.
Ospreys have been known to come to difficulty in the water and not been able to get enough momentum to get airborne again.
But I still feel that humans have something to do with it in this case and still too upset to be rational so going now.
I'm very relieved Cally's still in Spain. I wonder where Blue XD winters?
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.