FR4’s migration journey shows no signs of slowing down. Having made rapid progress through France and northern Spain, our young osprey has continued SW and as of 1pm on the 8th (the last data point we have) was flying about 12km (8 miles) off the NW coast of Morocco!

Setting out from from the overnight roost to the east of Madrid, FR4 covered a distance of 320km (200 miles) over the course of the 6th, crossing the border from Castile-La Mancha into Andalusia. The terrain of the Castile-La Mancha region is pretty mountainous in parts and flying heights in excess of 1500m above sea level were recorded on several occasions.

FR4 headed further SW on the 7th, passing to the south east of Seville and north east of Jerez, before turning due south towards Cadiz, which appears to have extensive coastal wetlands, including the Parque Natural Bahia de Cadiz. Roosting overnight in this area (and perhaps indulging in a spot of fishing?), FR4 resumed a southward course on the morning of the 8th, crossing over into African waters to the west of the Strait of Gibraltar. Fingers crossed the next batch of data will show that FR4 has arrived safely in Morocco.

There has been no change in FR3’s behaviour and with temperatures set to stay in the mid 20s celsius and light southerly winds forecast for next week this may remain the case for some time to come.

The next news update on FR3 & FR4 will be next week. Blog posts and the updating of the satellite tracking page are likely to be less frequent over the next couple of weeks due to seasonal staff departing and permanent staff being on leave. Please bear with us during this period – we’ll do our best to keep you informed.

Jonathan