Two-year old Osprey Blue YD continues his first ever northward spring migration, and has now reached the northern coast of Spain, having left his wintering grounds in Senegal on 24^th April.

We last left him on Monday evening, about 40 miles to the West of Madrid. He continued steadily northwards throughout Monday, and roosted overnight by the Río Cega, where we hope he found further sustenance for the journey ahead! On Tuesday, he continued northwards towards the coast over agricultural land and the Cantabrian Mountains, reaching speeds of up to 40 km/h.

Blue YD was approaching the coast by Tuesday Evening, and changed his course slightly westwards, aiming for the Bay of Santander, roosting overnight on the estuary of the Ría de Cubas. We last received data from the satellite tag in the early morning of Wednesday and look forward to seeing how his journey continues. As you can see from the image below, Blue YD crossed the Bay of Biscay on his journey south two years ago so we suspect he will continue on his current course across the Bay to the Northwest of France – but only time will tell!

Victoria – Volunteer Species Protection Officer