As we await the imminent arrival of our famous osprey and her partner I thought I would just provide you with a quick update on the fortunes of the various satellite tracked adult & juvenille ospreys from around the UK.

Starting off with last year’s three chicks from the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust’s Dyfi Osprey Project; Dulas, one of the male chicks spent the early part of his first winter in The Gambia, but has now moved south to the southern Tombali region of Guinea-Bissau. Einion, the other male chick, moved in mid-February further up the Senegalese coast and settled in the Parc National de la Langue de Barbarie. Data for Leri, the female chick was received sporadically from October 24-29^th in the area of the Three Marigots water system near Mengueye in Senegal, then stopped. It isn’t known what has happened to her, but hopefully it’s just the case that her satellite tracker has stopped working and nothing more sinister.

You can keep up-to-date with the latest news from the Dyfi Osprey Project at www.dyfiospreyproject.com/meet-the-ospreys/gps-tracking 

The two adult birds that were tracked last summer by the Rutland Osprey Project (a partnership between the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust and Anglian Water) have had mixed fortunes in recent weeks. AW (a 2006 male bird from Site B) stopped transmitting near Lac de Buyo, where he had been spending mornings before returning to roost by the River Lobo – it is unclear exactly what has happened. In contrast, 09 (a male bird translocated to Rutland in 1998) appears to be on his way back to Rutland. He has flown north along the Atlantic coast from Senegal to Western Sahara, covering an incredible 600 miles in only 3 days!

For the latest news on the Rutland birds go to http://www.ospreys.org.uk/category/satellite-tracking/ 

Number 12, a 2010 male chick from the Lake District Osprey Project (an RSPB/Forestry Commission/Lake District National Park partnership project) remains in his winter roost site in southern Gambia, near to the Hulahine Delta. 

To keep up to speed with what’s happening in the Lakes visit www.flickr.com/photos/ospreywatch

Meanwhile the tracked birds from the RSPB’s Loch Garten all show no signs of being ready for migration yet. Bynack (the 2011 male chick) had settled on the west coast of Mauritania to the south of Nouakchott. Although the tag has stopped working, signs are encouraging that Bynack may still be with us. A search team went looking for him in the area where he was last known to have been and were unable to locate him, dead or alive, or find his tag. Tore (the 2011 female chick) had a overnight stay back on the Casamance River near Yatacounda earlier this week before returning to her recent haunt west of Quedanga in Guinea Bissau. Rothes (a 2009 female chick) recently moved NW from her regular haunt on the Ilha de Unhocomozinho to a neighbouring island, the Ilha de Unhocomo, off Guinea-Bissau, where she spent last winter.

 You can follow the progress of the Loch Garten birds at www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/tracking/lochgartenospreys

Finally, news on a selection of the numerous birds that have been tagged by Roy Dennis through his Highland Foundation for Wildlife. Beatrice, a 2000 female bird from Strathdon, Aberdeenshire (tagged in 2008) started migrating north on the 3^rd March, heading north to France for a stop-over on the River Adour, similarly to previous years. Morven, a 2003 female bird from Keith, Moray (tagged in 2008) has started her migration and is now 414 miles north of her wintering grounds. Red 8T, a 2001 male bird from Abernethy Forest, Strathspey (tagged in 2009) is still overwintering near mangrove swamps in southern Senegal. Rothiemurchus (a 2009  male bird from Rothiemurchus Estate, near Aviemore) is still overwintering by the River Gambia in Senegal. Ozwald (a 2011 chick from Nairnshire) is settled in the Banc D’Arguin National Park in Mauritania but is making occasional forays further afield.  

Updates on Roy’s birds can be found at www.roydennis.org/osprey

Keep your eyes on the webcam for arrivals at Loch of the Lowes! http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/