FR3 has continued to travel west over the last six days and is now only around 40km (25 miles) from the coast and the mouth of the Gambia river.

By the evening of the 14th where we pick up the story, FR3 was roosting on the floodplain of the Bintang Bolon – the largest of a number of creeks (known as bolons) in this area of the Gambia, which flow into the main river. Resting here on the 15th, FR3 then continued west over the following three days, exploring several other creeks and patches of mangrove swamp forest along the way.

There are numerous villages and small towns dotted along the south bank of the Gambia river, linked by a main road (the South Bank Route), allowing travel and trade between settlements. Like ospreys, these communities are no doubt very reliant on the life-giving waters of the river and its tributaries to sustain them, especially during the long dry season.

Meanwhile FR4 has shown no change in behaviour and remains settled in the upstream location which has been home now for almost a month. The red dots and orange lines represent new data; the green lines are historical locations.

To view all the data on both birds for yourself go to scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/osprey/

Jonathan