Blue YZ is still going strong on her perilous migration. As of yesterday she was in northern Mali, and was finally starting to make a turn south west towards the coast.

She roosted overnight on one of the rocky outcrops that run in a strong diagonal line in this area ( the corner of Algeria, Mauritania and Mail) from NE to SW, giving a visual marker for her to follow. If she had kept going to the due south she would have ended up in an inhospitable area of real Saharan sand dunes.

 

If she continues on this SW course she should be able to reach the coast in a couple of days- she still had 1200km to go! She is not out of danger yet but is still going strong!

Q: What on earth is she eating?

A: She is probably not eating at all, unless she is lucky enough to come across an oasis with a fish supply. Instead she will be relying on her fat reserves – this is where chicks with better fledging weights have the real advantage on their first migration.

Q: How long can an osprey go without eating or drinking?

A: A bird can go several days without eating as long as it is getting sufficient moisture and has fat reserves to fall back on. Ospreys usually get all their  hydration from their food, but in this scenario, they will drink water directly.