The Flight of Bird R04(1999)

 

This female Osprey was translocated to Rutland Water on 12 July and released on 29 July. Just before release this bird weighed 1610g and had a winglength of 440mm. BTO ring number 1342794.

Bird R04 was reluctant to leave the pen when it was released and was initially rather inactive. Later it became a very confident flier.


Map produced using DMAP software

Bird 04 had a steady flight south from Rutland Water , moving over 1000km in 3 days. Then came a short stop-over, perhaps around the lakes in Les Landes. It took her 4 days to tranvserse Spain and cross the Mediterranean to Morocco. Another week and she crossed the western edge of the Sahara desert to the Atlantic Coast . She then followed the coast south into Senegal until 19/9, before retracing her tracks about 230km north again.

The total distance south from Rutland Water was 4878km in 21 days.

She then settled in the area N of St Louis very close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj.

©2008 Rutland Osprey Project.
Photographs and images by members of the Project Team unless otherwise stated.
The project is a partnership between Anglian Water and the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust,
with funding from Augean Plc through the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme.
The project is based at Rutland Water Nature Reserve.