Previous Editions
July 2010
30(10) Makes His First Flight- Our regular contributor Lynda was in Waderscrape Hide when the first of the Manton Bay chicks took to the air
July 2010
Guided Walks and Water Rails - Trainee warden Michelle Househam spends a week with the Osprey Project
July 2010
A Boat, Rutland Water, a Warm Summer Evening and Two Fishing Ospreys- Lynda Berry on a spectacular first Osprey Cruise of the year
May 2010
Mr Nosey Drops In- An Afternoon In Waderscrape- Val & Alan Brown write about an enthralling afternoon in Manton Bay
May 2010
05(08) Returns Home- The earlist ever return for a Rutland two year old, photographed by Brian and Liz Nicholls
April 2010
First Shift Of The Year- Ken Davies sees the return of the 5R show in Manton Bay
February 2010
A Mid-Winter Gathering- Walks, works and welsh ospreys at the Osprey Mid-Winter gathering
October 2009
Time To Say Goodbye - Lynda's Summer Diary- Goodbye to Site N, and to another Osprey season
FOLLOWING MIGRATION - A DRIVE THROUGH FRANCE AND SPAIN- October 2009
In early September Project Officer, Tim Mackrill along with John Wright and Paul Waterhouse drove from Rutland to Tarifa on the south coast of Spain. Their aim, to follow the migration route used by hundreds of Ospreys each autumn. Here Tim describes the 1700 mile journey. Photos by John Wright and Paul Waterhouse.
As August turns in to September and the nights begin to draw in, one by one Ospreys throughout northern Europe leave their breeding grounds bound for warmer climes; perhaps a reservoir in Andalucia, or more likely, a river delta on the West African coast.
For this year’s youngsters, this is the most hazardous period of their life. All manner of dangers await; from strong winds across the Bay of Biscay to high mountain passes in the Atlas and sandstorms in the Sahara. The sad reality is that as many as 70% won’t survive the next 12 months of their life.
Migration has always fascinated me, and this year I wanted to try and understand a bit more about the birds’ epic flight south. OK so crossing the Sahara wasn’t realistic with only a few weeks of planning, but how about following the birds’ south through Europe?
John Wright and I were joined on what would be a 1700 mile drive south by Paul Waterhouse. Paul is now the summer warden at Weeting Heath, but having worked on the Osprey project for three years, he was just as keen to follow the birds as we were.
And so having finished the last official day of another Osprey season at Rutland Water, we headed south at 9pm on 6th September.
Monday 7th September
Fourteen hours and a channel crossing later we arrived at L’Aguillon-sur-Mer at midday on 7th. L’Aguillon is a small town lying on the estuary of the River Lay a few miles north of La Rochelle. Its position on the Atlantic coast of France makes it a magnet for migrating birds in the autumn, and it was also where Nimrod – one of the Scottish Ospreys tracked by Roy Dennis – stopped off last autumn.
Amazingly, almost the first bird we saw was an Osprey. Amid thousands of Knot, Black-tailed Godwits, Turnstones, Oystercatchers and Grey Plovers was a lone Osprey sitting on a low post in the middle of the estuary. We watched the bird for a while. It didn’t move. But then that is what Ospreys spend most of their winter doing, very little. With heat haze making visibility very difficult we decided to return later. Perfect migration conditions – clear skies and little wind – meant that more Ospreys were sure to have arrived by evening.
We got back to the estuary at 5pm to find the tide completely in (photo on right). Hundreds of the famous bouchot mussel posts that had been exposed at low tide were now completely hidden and the place had a very different feel to it. The waders had congregated to roost in the saltmarsh on the west side of the estuary and initially all was quite. Suddenly though, they took off. As they wheeled around in a mass, tightly-packed flock, the source of the disturbance - a fishing Osprey - came in to view. After one unsuccessful dive, the bird, an adult female, crashed into the water again and this time carried away what looked like a mullet. She took her catch to a post on the far shoreline close to the pine woods where Nimrod roosted last autumn. Frustratingly she was too distant to see if she was ringed. Of course we knew that the chances of seeing a Rutland Water bird was extremely remote; but you just never know!
We continued south east along the estuary to Pointe l’Aguillon, where expansive views over the Bay of Aguillon are possible. We hoped to see more Ospreys fishing, and weren’t disappointed. Virtually as we arrived on the point an unringed male flew over and then we quickly located a female – also unringed – sitting on a post in the bay. She took off moments later and caught a mullet within 30 seconds of leaving the perch! The fish was so large that she was unable to return to the same post, and instead she flew off strongly east with her evening meal. The male meanwhile was still fishing. We watched him hit the water several times without success, and as we did, a second unringed male appeared from the west and landed on a post a few hundred metres away. Much posturing and chipping ensued as the fishing male flew over the new arrival. It was like being back at Rutland!
For the next hour or so we enjoyed great views of both males fishing, but rather surprisingly given the ease with which the two females had earlier caught fish, neither was successful. As we watched from the point a Bluethroat appeared in scrub nearby and two Pied Flycatchers reminded us that it wasn’t just Ospreys who were on the move. Young Sandwich Terns hassled adults for food, but still the Ospreys weren’t successful. Eventually we decided to call it a day, vowing to return early next morning.
Tuesday 8th September
Next morning we got to the point at sunrise and immediately located two unringed males perched beside a small shallow lagoon.
Soon after we arrived one of the birds caught a fish in the bay and took it away to the east. The second bird though spent more than 20 minutes fishing the lagoon in front of us. It hit the water numerous times, but remarkably, failed to catch once again. Eventually it returned to perch on a mussel post, leaving ten Caspian Terns to do the fishing. As we waited a group of migrant Willow Warblers was joined by a single Melodious and Tree Pipits and Yellow Wagtails passed overhead. Migration was definitely in full swing.
As the temperature rose we headed to the pine wood where Nimrod had roosted last autumn. A group of Crested Tits passed through and another Osprey flew strongly south along the river – it was now late morning so perhaps this bird was migrating?
We decided to return to the point again that evening - it was a great spot to watch Ospreys fishing and we still held out hope of seeing a colour-ringed bird. As we got into position a group of Little Terns passed by, followed by three Black Terns. It soon became apparent though that several of the birds we had seen yesterday had continued their migration. In fact by now they were probably somewhere in Spain. We did eventually see an unringed male catch a fish distantly in the bay. Two other males were also present, but neither caught a fish.
Wednesday 9th September
Next morning we decided to continue the journey – but not before a final visit to Poite L’Aquillon where more Wheatears, Pied Flycatchers and a lone Grasshopper Warbler had arrived overnight. A Firecrest called from the scrub as we watched a lone unringed male Osprey.
By 9:15 it was already warming up and we decided to set off on the long drive towards the Pyrenees. Driving south we passed the estuary just north of Bordeaux where one of the Loch Garten juveniles had taken up residence in recent weeks. Further on, a juvenile Honey Buzzard crossed the road as we continued south through the vast conifer plantations south of Bordeaux. After negotiating the busy town of Dax, and passing close to the stop over site of another of Roy's birds, the mountains of the Pyrenees were finally in sight.
The Pyrenees must make for a foreboding sight for juvenile Ospreys migrating south for the first time. As if to prove the point, as we arrived in the small village of Trois Villes nestled in the foothills of the mountains, a juvenile Osprey appeared overhead. It circled above us for several minutes apparently unsure of what to do next. It was now 5pm and with peaks of more than 2500m on the horizon it seemed unlikely that it would continue much further south that evening. This was an exciting sighting. Not only was it great to see another Osprey, but it was really fascinating to get a feel for the kind of decisions that young birds have to make as they migrate south for the first time.
Thursday 10th September
Our plan for the Pyrenees was to spend two full days at the Col d’Organdidexka migration watchpoint, situated at an altitude of some 1300m in the western Pyrenees. We hoped that the hundreds of Honey Buzzards, Marsh Harriers and Black Kites that pass through each day in early September would be joined by one or two Ospreys.
We left our campsite before dawn and arrived at the watchpoint as the sun rose above what must be one of the most dramatic skylines in Europe. Early morning mist hung in the valleys and as the first rays of sunlight lit up the jagged peaks, an Osprey appeared. It seemed early to be starting migration, but in contrast to the juvenile we had seen the previous evening, this was an adult female who had probably made the same journey many times before. There seemed no doubt that she knew what she was doing. 
Slowly but surely other raptors began to move. A Marsh Harrier powered past, then a group of five Honey Buzzards found a thermal and slowly drifted south. As the morning progressed more Honey Buzzards passed through, accompanied by several Black Kites and a single Egyptian Vulture. Finally at about 3pm another Osprey appeared – an adult male hotly pursued by two Ravens as it headed strongly south. Twenty minutes later another Osprey flew over, followed by two Black Storks and a group of 16 Honey Buzzards. Suddenly it was all happening. More Honey Buzzards appeared – including an incredibly pale individual among a group of 19. Marsh Harriers, Black Kites, Sparrow Hawks, two Hobbies and a juvenile Montague’s Harrier passed over head, and the Ospreys kept coming. Over the course of the next hour a further six Ospreys – all of them adults, passed overhead. All seemed intent on crossing the mountains before dark.
By 6pm things had calmed down a little but there was still time to enjoy close views of two Short-toed Eagles in magical evening light. It had been a great day and we couldn’t wait to get back next morning.
Friday 11th September
Once again we got to the watch point at dawn. The first Marsh Harriers appeared almost immediately and then a group of 10 Honey Buzzards – presumably birds that had roosted nearby - drifted south. At 9:50 the first Osprey appeared. Yesterday was notable for the fact that all the Ospreys we had seen were adults, and that none had lingered around the view point. Each bird simply powered directly south. Although this bird was also an adult, it seemed far less confident than the birds we had watched yesterday. It disappeared from view to the east but then reappeared ten minutes later, clearly unsure of which way to go. Finally, it appeared to regain its bearings and headed south. We had assumed that adult Ospreys wouldn’t be particularly troubled by the mountains, but this bird was distinctly hesitant when it passed the viewpoint. Of course a two year-old bird would only have made one previous autumn migration and so perhaps this was a young adult still making refinements to its autumn journey?
As the morning progressed it became clear that more birds were moving than yesterday. Groups of Honey Buzzards passed overhead throughout the morning and by lunchtime Black Storks were also on the move. A group of five flew low over the viewpoint with another 22 passing south more distantly. A Hen Harrier and two Booted Eagles drifted past, followed by more storks and Honey Buzzards. Over the course of the afternoon another six Ospreys made their way south, but interestingly they were all adults. So where were all the juveniles? We had expected to see at least as many juveniles as adults, but the only juvenile we had actually seen was the one circling over Trois Villes as we arrived on Wednesday evening. Looking back it seems that easterly winds may have pushed many migrating Ospreys further west than usual. Three of the birds tracked by Roy Dennis were blown out into the Atlantic while we were in France, two of them experienced adults. So if adults were drifting west of their usual migratory course, juveniles definitely would be. So this probably explained why we weren't seeing more juveniles. Even more significantly, it may also have meant that many youngsters migrating south from the UK for the first time, would have been lost in the Atlantic.
By early evening migration was slowing down for the day, and we decided to call it a day. We said our goodbyes to the counters from Mission Migration with whom we had shared a great two days. You can read more about the work of Mission Migration on their website www.migraction.net. Here you can also see daily counts from Organbidexka watch point and from various sites around France where migrant birds are counted.
Saturday 12th September
After crossing the Pyrenees many migrant Ospreys will stop-off at the first piece of water they come across. With this in mind next morning we stopped off at Embalse de Yesa, a large reservoir situated just south of the Pyrenees in northern Spain. Sure enough within a few minutes of arriving at the reservoir we picked up an Osprey on a dead tree eating a newly-caught fish. Perhaps it was one of the twenty or so birds we had seen passing Organbidexka over the previous two days?
The rest of the day was taken up with a long drive south through Spain. After covering more than 500 miles were arrived at Monfrague in Extremadura at about 6pm.
Sunday 13th September
Another early start saw us leave the campsite before first light so we could have a few hours exploring the plains between Caceres and Trujillo. Again there was plenty of evidence that autumn migration was in full swing. Heavy rain and thunderstorms over night had grounded numerous migrant passerines and the plains were teeming with Wheatears, Whinchats, Pied Flycatchers and groups of Hoopoes. This combined with great views of Great Bustards, Pin-tailed and Dark-bellied Sandgrouse made us somewhat reluctant to continue the drive south! But continue we did. Next stop, Tarifa.
Monday 14th September
Although John was staying on in Spain to assist the Migres foundation with their counts of migrant raptors, it was now mine and Paul's last full day in Spain.
Tarifa, along with nearby Gibraltar, is one of the foremost migration watchpoints in Europe. Thousands of migrant raptors are funnelled down into this narrow section of land at the southern tip of Spain before they make the short sea crossing to Morocco. This can make for some truly spectacular movements of birds some days during autumn.
Unlike other raptors, Ospreys are able to make much longer sea crossings, and so are less dependent on crossing the Mediterranean at the shortest possible point. As a result only a few Ospreys are recorded at Tarifa each day during autumn migration, but we still hoped to see one or two birds heading out towards Africa.
Unfortunately for Paul and I, the wind was not particularly favourable when we woke on Monday morning. Thousands of migrant Short-toed Eagles had been recorded over the weekend but the winds had been from the east, pushing the birds west towards Tarifa. Typically, today the situation was the reverse. The wind had turned round to a westerly, meaning we would have been better off in Gibraltar.
Unperturbed, we headed to the main watchpoint close to Tarifa. As we suspected, numbers were not particularly great, but over the course of ten hours at the watch point we got a flavour of how spectacular migration here can be. Booted Eagles(below left) passed within a few metres of the watchpoint, flocks of Bee Eaters flew south overhead and groups of Red-rumped Swallows and Alpine and Pallid Swifts whirled around before continuing their own journey south. As the day progressed small groups of Short-toed Eagles, Honey Buzzards (below right) and Egyptian Vultures passed through, as did Black Kites and more Booted Eagles. A group of 15 Black Storks came low over the viewpoint and the resident Griffon Vultures were joined by two Rüppell's – an African vulture now seen in increasing numbers in southern Spain. The only thing missing was an Osprey.
By 6pm migration had all but stopped and we said our goodbyes to John who was leaving to join up with Migres. As we drove back to the campsite we finally saw what we had been missing all day. An adult female Osprey flew across the road and then caught a fish in a small brackish pool close to the coast. She took the fish to a nearby fencepost where she finished her meal. Perhaps she would continue her journey in the morning? Frustratingly, like all of the other Ospreys we had seen so far, she was unringed.
Tuesday 15th September
Our last morning in Spain and we woke to thick fog and rain! The weather eventually cleared around 1pm and so we headed to another viewpoint close to Tarifa. Although the wind was still coming from the west, we suspected that now the weather was clearing we would see some migration. Well, we weren’t wrong.
Over the course of the next hour and a half we must have seen upwards of a thousand birds heading out towards Africa. Honey Buzzards were the first to move – perhaps a hundred birds passing very low over the viewpoint. Then, as Honey Buzzard numbers began to dwindle, Short-toed and Booted Eagles began to pass over in big numbers. Black Kites were on the move too, as were smaller numbers of Egyptian Vultures, Montague’s Harriers and Sparrow Hawks. It was a truly amazing sight, and a fitting end to a great trip.
As we packed up to drive to the airport an Osprey that had been sitting on a nearby pylon took off and headed towards the sea. It was amazing to think that although we had driven 1700 miles, this Osprey, who had probably flown a similar distance, was probably not even half way to its winter home. Many hazards lay in wait, not least the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert. It seemed a shame that we were not continuing our own journey south, but that will have to wait for another year.
As we sat in Gibraltar airport we reflected on what had been a great trip. OK so we hadn't seen any of the Rutland birds, but it had been great just to get some idea of the journey the birds we had watched all summer were now facing.
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