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Well Rothes has reached Mauritania. She continued over the sea from 5am on the 28th, hitting land near Tidergit in Morocco at 9am on the 28th. She continued south crossing the border into Western Sahara at 11am on 28th. Not keen to halt much she has carried on south into Mauritania by 2pm on 28th. The latest point I had this morning when I downloaded the data was 10am yesterday (29th) when she was still in Mauritania heading south, but at a slower pace (between 7pm on 28th and 9am on 29th the speed she's been travelling when a reading was taken was 0). So she's obviously finding perches to stop on, but continuing south to find a suitable location to stop for a bit in.

Meanwhile Mallachie is happily moving about in the same place in Portugal.

I know from your comments there's been a bit of concern because we didn't update the map or blog yesterday. I had a bit of a workparty wasp nest situation to deal with which kept me out of the office. Rest assured both chicks are fine.

If Richard has time he'll update the data again this afternoon and stick a bit more onto the blog.

The weekend's data is now input. Mallachie has stayed put but Rothes has spent the weekend heading steadily south. From 10am on Friday (25th) she flew in a south westerly direction passing such places as Souraide, Beintza, Ayllon (North of Madrid) and roosted near to Toledo. Come Saturday she was on the move again flying past Castilblanco and Zafra (can you tell I've been spending quality time on Google maps?!). She roosted on Saturday night near Oliva de la Frontera close to the Potugese border. Then Sunday saw her continuing her journey heading past Paymogo. At 1pm on Sunday (27th) she headed out over the sea from near Faro. From 1pm on Sunday until 5am this morning she didn't hit land, flying continuously down the coast of Morocco (NB there is a gap in the data between 9pm and 5pm so she might have had a sneaky rest for a bit, but the distance on the map looks like she might have just kept going.).

I'll have a look at the data tomorrow to see where she's got to. She wasn't far off shore at 5am and so as the sun came up I'm sure she will have seen the land (if she couldn't anyway with the lights and her osprey eyesight).

Tune in tomorrow for the next update.

Rothes is moving...

I've just entered the most recent data and Rothes has made a move. She left her beloved sturgeon farm yesterday morning (24th) around 9am. Heading south over La Gironde, past Soussans, and to the west of Bordeaux, she continued south near Parnetis-en-Born to the west of Parc Naturel Regional des Landes de Gascogne and on past Uza until reaching an area east of Ondres with an area of water called Etang d'yrieu where she roosted until 8am this morning, possibly catching some fish?

Then it was on again - the latest point that I have for her was 9am this morning (25th) when she was south of Bayonne near the border with Spain.

Meanwhile Mallachie was also on the move - she went slightly east along the reservoir north of Zebreira - so no real change for her. At 10am this morning that's where she was.

Rothes obviously decided to not do anything too strenuous before Richard got back from his holiday so that he wouldn't miss anything. But now he's back let's see where she goes next...

More next week.

I am just back from a week away and I have caught up on the news from Alice that both Rothes and Mallachie are both still in their same respective spots in France and Portugal.  I really thought that by the time I returned, they might have moved on a bit by now.  Still, the important thing is that both seem to be doing ok and presumably like it just where they are, and are in no hurry to press on.  To get back into the swing of entering data, I just took a quick look at the latest and sure enough, Mallachie is still dotting about between the two reservoirs as reported by Alice.  Similarly, Rothes remains on La Gironde river and continues to roost at Dr Jones sturgeon farm. Had we known they would stay put quite this long, we could have perhaps popped down to see them. It is all the more autumnal here now and so it presumably will be where they are too, so perhaps we will see a shift in position sometime soon.

I did see some ospreys last week though.  I was in New York visiting friends, but as fun as the City was, being from the boondocks, after a few days I needed some space and to escape the throng.  So I took the subway out of town to a place called Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, a wetland out near JFK airport.  Almost the first bird I saw when I got off the train at Broad Channel, was an osprey, right at the moment when it dived into a tidal creek to fish and it caught one!  How lucky was that? In all my time of working with ospreys, the number of times I've actually seen one catch a fish are precious few, so I was well pleased.  There were several ospreys in the area, seen on and off throughout the day, and the weather was still hot & sunny over there, so it seemed like I'd gone back in time to July here. They are of course not nesting now, but I did see some nest platforms on poles.

If you are ever out there, I can recommend Jamaica Bay - lots of birds, including wildfowl and waders, herons & egrets too, plus bushes full of an array of warblers.  It's a perfect oasis to escape to, when the City becomes too much.  The highlight was seeing a Lesser Yellowlegs crash-land into a bush (!), in a desperate attempt to escape the clutches of the stooping Peregrine bearing down on it from above at high speed.  The falcon missed, but I never did see the wader emerge from the undergrowth,  it walked away unseen, embarrassed yet relieved, I suspect.

I can recommend Central Park as a birdwatching hot spot too, especially at Spring and Autumn (Fall) migration times - heaving with various species of warbler and thrush, woodpecker and nuthatch.  Osprey-sized Red-tailed Hawks nest on nearby city buildings and hunt the park.  I saw one perched in full view, just 25ft above a park path, ravenously ripping up a grey squirrel, prey which presumably sustains them in that location, yet it went unobserved and unappreciated by all the focussed joggers, roller-bladers and dog walkers passing back & forth beneath it.  I just couldn't help myself but slip into RSPB warden mode, stopping some of them to point out the spectacle they were missing just above their heads. Most of them seemed appreciative, though it didn't occur to me to think that I'd be interfering with the joggers' timed running routines, oops.

.........anyway, Alice or I will check on Rothes & Mallachie again tomorrow and keep you informed.  My thanks to Alice for doing so in my absence.

Data's in - no change from either Mallachie or Rothes (as of 9pm and 6pm respectively yesterday the 22nd).

I'll update again tomorrow.

The data for today has now been input and there is still no change from either Mallachie or Rothes. I'm rather running out of ways of saying that. But they are both still moving around lots, just only over a small, localised area. The latest data point I have is for 2pm today (22nd) for Mallachie and 1pm for Rothes. Rothes was exploring the coast a bit at that point and Mallachie was at the reservoir north of Zebreira.

Apologies for the brevity of this post, but I've a rather busy day. More tomorrow.

Well the weather in France might have turned distinctly autumnal, but this hasn't convinced Rothes that it is time to move further south yet. I've just had a look at the data that my two short term resi vols spent the afternoon inputting (I'm writing that in case there are any glaring errors...!) and Rothes has stuck with where she knows. The latest point I have for her is 8am this morning (21st) when she was just off the coast about 2miles from her favoured roost/fishing site.

Meanwhile Mallachie spent the weekend switching between the two reservoirs, roosting at the one near Ladoeiro and then spending the day at the one north of Zebreira. As of 8am this morning she was still at the one near Ladoeiro.

I'll update you all again tomorrow - but now I must go to maintain the chainsaw I was using this morning...

I've added the new data - but only got one new point for Rothes - as of 5pm yesterday (17th) she was in the same place. I guess if the weather changes over the weekend she might start to move on - so it will be interesting to see on Monday.

Meanwhile Mallachie is also still sitting tight in Portugal, moving between the two reservoirs. The latest data I have for her is 3pm today (18th) and at that point she was at the reservoir north of Zebreira.

I'll not be able to check the data over the weekend - but hopefully you can all hang on until Monday afternoon. I'd do it earlier in the day but I've another residential volunteer starting on Monday and we like to make the most of them for some hard work while they're around!

Have a good weekend.

Well the data is updated, and neither Mallachie or Rothes have ventured very far in the last 24 hours.

Rothes spent most of yesterday afternoon over the waters of La Gironde before returning to her favoured spot to roost. As of 10am this morning (17th) that's where she still was. I don't know what the weather is like in France, but if it's anything like what we're getting here at Abernethy at the moment I wouldn't move on either.

Meanwhile Mallachie stayed at the reservoir north of Zebreira until after 4pm yesterday, and then returned to the one near Ladoeiro to roost. At 8am this morning she headed back up and as of 1pm today she was at that same reservoir north of Zebreira.

More tomorrow.

I'm writing this blog a bit earlier than usual as I need to head into Aviemore.

I've added the new data - up to 8am this morning (16th) for Mallachie and 10am for Rothes.

Rothes is sticking in the same place - with short exploratory flights - she headed west over La Gironde at 8am today, to return by 9am to her spot. It'll be interesting to she what she does tomorrow (and did since 10am this morning).

Meanwhile Mallachie is exploring her local area a bit - after roosting near Ladoeiro on 15th, she neaded back north past Zebreira to the other reservoir where she spent most of yesterday afternoon, before heading back to near Ladoeiro by 8pm to roost. At 8am this morning she was in a similar spot, not yet venturing far for the day.

More tomorrow.

Well I've just added the new data, and there isn't a great deal to report. As Rothes hasn't yet run out of fish (I'm assuming) she is (as of 9pm yesterday, 14th) still in her favoured spot - though she did head over to the coast briefly, to near Conac, before returning to roost in 'her spot'.

Mallachie is also still taking it easy, hanging around where we left her yesterday in Portugal, then taking a brief trip north yesterday afternoon (about 15km) up the N332 past Zebreira to visit another reservoir. She then returned to near Ladoeiro to roost (as of 9pm yesterday).

I'll update you all again tomorrow.

Apologies to those of you who might have thought the map didn't get updated on Friday - I entered the data (which showed no change from either Rothes or Mallachie), then went to write the blog, to find the Osprey team's fairwell messages. I didn't feel the no change message was really exciting enough to relegate that post off the top (so to speak) and so I didn't write one.

But it's a new week now and I've just finished inputting the latest data.

Rothes hasn't yet fininshed all the fish where she is and so has stayed put near Fontaine in France (at least up until 12noon today (14th).

Mallachie had a slightly busier weekend - flyinging over the border into Portugal at 4pm on 11th, though she returned to her Rio Tajo haunts until 2pm on 12th when she crossed into Portugal west of Monte Fidalgo. She flew west towards Perais and then mooched about until 12noon on 13th when she headed north towards Ladoeiro. As of 4pm yesterday (13th), the latest point I have, she was hanging around a reservoir south of the N240, east of Ladoeiro.

Meanwhile here at Abernethy it's a fantastic afternoon and so I'm off out to enjoy it. More tomorrow.

Well as I type Malcolm is hoovering, Debbie is cleaning the feeders and Ian is cleaning the toilets, its definately the end of the season, no osprey to look at out of the flaps anymore!  We have had plenty to watch whilst we have been packing up the centre, red squirrels, woodpeckers, and even a sparrowhawk yesterday lunchtime!  We shall not be heading to Africa, to enjoy the winter sun and watch osprey, but we shall be able, like you to at least keep up with Rothes and Mallachie on-line.  I wonder what excitement and dramas 2010 will bring, will EJ be back, will Odin be back to Loch Garten, will White TF challenge for the nest in 2010?  So many questions and so much to look forward to.  Thanks for all the cakes, biscuits and drinks over season, and it has been great to put a face to some of your names.  We await the next fish.....although I anticipate that we might be waiting rather a long time....so in the meantime I shall get the others to write their goodbyes!  Thanks again Claire

I have really enjoyed getting to know our intrepid ospreys this year!  Plus, I finish with good memories of the team, volunteers, visitors and our 'big green and blue office'.  My next few months will involve hopefully getting into the mountains here on my doorstep, shop work and wildlife watching. ...And keeping an eye on Rothes and Mallachie (and Richard!).  Malcolm.

Don't worry, we haven't cleaned (and removed) all of the bird/squirrel feeders! In fact, you may have noticed the brilliant new model Richard has installed for the winter! It's been really amazing to work here this season, watching the ospreys and sharing their antics with everyone that's visited. Great to meet all the bloggers that made it here! Thank you so much for all the goodies, although I need a diet now! My fellow workers have all been great fun too, so thanks to them and, we woudn't have been anywhere without all of our volunteers being here, so thanks to them too. Good luck to our beautiful ospreys. Now there is only one thing left to do.......we must go out..... for final cake!!!!! Debbie.

Well 2010 seems a long way off at the moment, but if the next six months goes as quick as the last six months it hardly seems worth packing. Its been great talking to so many people about the ospreys and meeting so many bloggers and being able to put faces to names. So the last day is upon us and i will be watching our chicks progress on the internet with you, thanks to you all for adding to the fun this year and lets hope 2010 is just as good with three more chicks, now did Debbie say the magic word CAKE...!!! Ian.

So that is it, farewell from David too in his absense.  Have a great winter, so long and thanks for all the cake...

Oh, nearly forgot......if you're feeling bereft of ospreys, you can always defect to the Mull eagles blog to keep up to date with things there too, (we will not hold it against you, promise). For the first time ever, their hide is staying open all autumn as their birds, unlike our ospreys, are resident and still around to be seen, so it's still worth a visit. - Richard

I've just finished entering the latest satellite data for both Mallachie and Rothes. When the map updates (assuming I did it right!) Mallachie will be up to date until 8am this morning (9th) and Rothes will be up to date until 1pm today.

Neither of them have done anything dramatic in the last 24 hours. Rothes definitely doesn't seem to be in a hurry to move on from near Fontaine north of Bordeaux. As for Mallachie she's exploring the Rio Tajo area thoroughly travelling eastwards and westwards along the river system between Parque Nacional de Monfrague in Spain and Parque Natural do Tejo Internacional in Portugal. She might have crossed over the border into Portugal, but the satellite hasn't caught her at it yet.

As for me I've got to dash - a meeting about Goldeneye ducks in Aviemore tonight. Tune in tomorrow for another update.

Mallachie has moved on yet again.  She stayed near Tinosillos overnight on 7th September but next day, after having what appears to have been a long-lie, awaiting the heat of the day I suspect to aid her passage, she set off at 9am on a south westerly bearing towards San Vicente de Arevalo.  The thermals giving her lift up to between 800-1000m.

From these altitudes, Mallachie can presumably spot likely places to divert to, to stop and fish because by late morning, she had made good ground and at 11am had dropped in height to a lake or reservoir complex, east of Mirvena de los Infanzones.  A quick bite to eat perhaps (?), within the hour before the next fix, because at noon she was on her way again near to Piedrahito.  At 1pm she had located another lake near Quebrada de Serradilla and then by 2pm she was at the famous Parque Nacional de Monfrague, a place I have visited several times - a simply wonderful place for raptors, though when I have visited, I've never seen osprey there!  There is some good fishing for her there though, but she didn't stay long before heading along a river close to the border between Spain and Portugal in Parque Naturel do Tejo Internacional.  She's not hanging about, is she eh?  Unlike Rothes, who, yes you guessed it, is still holed-up in La Gironde north of Bordeaux.  Is she going to over-winter there perhaps?  Or could it be that her unusually very early departure from us here at Loch Garten, has taken it's toll on her and she just needs a lot of time to recuperate.

I've now checked on the data regime, and we should continue to get hourly fixes, which we will strive to up-date you on, on a daily basis, until 1st November when the regime changes to twice daily fixes and a weekly download. This change is in anticipation of the wintering grounds having been reached by then, but I'm not sure that will apply to Rothes though, the slouch. 

My colleague Alice will be taking over up-dating you for a while, starting tomorrow, as I head away for a wee break next week.  During the autumn winter, as well as keeping you informed of the osprey's whereabouts, we hope to broaden the blog a little and tell you about some of the wider work taking place here at Abernethy.  Readers last year will recall us doing this, but we hope to expand on that further this year, with news of our habitat management work progress, willdife sightings and anything else newsworthy.  Anyway, more on that anon.  Meantime over to Alice for a while.