He's still in Scotland!

Below catalogues Ozwold's movements over the past 10 days. He's still in Scotland revisiting some of his fishing haunts, making a flight back up north near Aviemore. Hopefully, all this is giving him sufficient time to build up fishing skills and strength and stamina for the long journey ahead. With the days drawing in and the temperature dropping, I wonder when he will head south. On the weather forecast tonight, gales are forecast in northern Scotland on Wednesday, so I hope he waits for a clear patch in the weather and makes his move at the safest opportunity. 

September 10th - 12th ... back north to the River Dee

Ozwald flew north on the afternoon of the 10th September to Ballater and spent the rest of the day and the next day on the River Dee and up the River Gairn towards the Bridge of Gairn. By 4 PM today he had flown up the river and was on the River Dee between Braemar and Inverey (at 8pm). It's interesting that he's flown back up north to an area that he has visited previously.

September 14th...on the River Dee

There were no signals on 13 September because the weather was so poor that the battery was not charged by the sun. On the 14th, the transmitter gave the first position at midday in Glen Quoich, near Braemar. And then he moved down onto the River Dee, east of Mar Lodge, and he may have been fishing. In the afternoon he was on the River Dee further upstream and roosted overnight in Scots pine trees beside the river just downstream of the Linn of Dee.

September 15th...heading back north! to Aviemore and River Spey

He was beside the River Dee until at least 8 AM, when he flew further upstream and at 11 AM was flying NNW over the west shoulder of Braeriach, in the Cairngorms, then headed over Loch Einich. An hour later he was perched beside the River Spey at Aviemore, and may have fished at the Rothiemurchus fishery - a favourite place for fishing ospreys. He carried on down the river and at 1 PM was flying over the river Spey at Broomhill Bridge(the old railway station Glenbogle for Monarch of the Glen fans). At 2 PM and 3 PM he was perched beside the small River Gheallaidh north of Tulchan and then moved further east to roost overnight in Scootmore forest near Ballindalloch, after a day's journey of 70 kms.

September 17th

No signals in yet for the 16th but today at 9 AM he was on the River Avon near Tomintoul, an hour later he was downstream beside the river at Fodderletter. At 11 AM he was on the Conglass Water north of Tomintoul. It's another cold wet and windy day, so Ozwald is best to hang around and wait for better weather to start his migration proper.

Other tagged ospreys...Ozwold really is one of the last satellite tagged ospreys to set off on migration. Male ospreys and young ospreys do usually leave sometime in mid September, so I expect there are other ospreys still in Scotland...but below I listed some of the UK Satellite tagged ospreys. 

The Highland Foundation for Wildlife www.roydennis.org

Red 8T... currently in Morocco

Morven...in northern France

Rothiemurchus...tracking slowly down the French coast

Joe...in central Spain

Beatrice...in her wintering grounds in Spain. 

Dyfi (Welsh ospreys) www.dyfiospreyproject.com 

Einion...Morocco

Dulas...nearly reached Africa

Leri...in France