So the young Blue YZ is continuing her journey south towards the Gulf of Cadiz in southern Spain. It’s incredibly exciting each time we download the satellite tracking data for her, as we wonder each time whereabouts she has got to in the last couple of days.

What I find remarkable is the huge distances she covers in just a few hours (on the 10^th September she flew 180 miles in only 8 hours). Then she stops and rests each night, ready to head off early the next morning on another leg of her journey – almost like she doesn’t want to waste a minute of daylight.

Over the last couple of days she has flown over the Càceres, Badajoz and Huelva regions of southern Spain, and has even nipped over the Portuguese border and back again at Barrancos.

Most of the terrain has been open grassland and farmland, with the occasional orchards and hills. Looking at these wonderful photographs of the areas she has been flying through – it certainly looks very different from Perthshire!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our most recent data point for Blue YZ (12^th September at 8pm) has her resting at a reservoir just 12 miles from the Gulf of Cadiz – so she is very nearly at the south coast of Spain. We don’t know whether she will head further east and take the shortest route across the Strait of Gibraltar, or if she will take the most direct route south over the ocean – we can only wait and see! Either way, she is making a remarkable journey, and has already taught us so much about osprey migration and behaviour. Good luck to her for the next leg!

by Rachel Butterworth – Volunteer Assistant Ranger