Flight of the ospreys to Africa delights online twitchers

Published on Wednesday 14 October 2009 21:53

FOR their first foray away from the nest, it's been quite a journey. Two osprey chicks who left Scotland in August on their first migration have reached Africa.

Rothes and Mallachie were raised at RSPB Scotland's Loch Garten reserve, near Aviemore, and set off on the 3,000-mile route to West Africa, with satellite tags allowing birdwatchers to follow progress.

The females flew south across the UK, over the Channel into France and down through Spain and Portugal, before heading into Africa.

Rothes arrived first, on 1 October, and has been flying around Mauritania, Western Sahara, Senegal and the Bijagos islands off Guinea-Bissau. Mallachie arrived in Algeria on Tuesday.

The safe arrival was welcomed by followers on the internet. One said: "Once these girls make their minds up to go there is no stopping them." Another commented: "Good to hear both are doing well. Hopefully in a couple of years they will repeat their migration in reverse."

The pair are two of three chicks born to EJ and Odin.

RSPB staff said that by fitting the tags they can follow the birds' fortunes and learn more about migration routes, where birds go and where they make stopovers on their way to West Africa.

Last year two young birds were also tagged, but they died during migration. Dehar apparently became lost in the Atlantic while the other, Nethy, made it to Africa, but later died.

Ospreys travel by day, using thermals to gain height over land. They migrate more slowly than many birds, stopping at favourite feeding sites along the way, sometimes for a week.