FR3 has made considerable progress over the past week, travelling around 1300km (800 miles) and as of 4pm on 6th October was in the central eastern part of Western Sahara.

Flying south from the Oued Grou river on the 2nd, FR3 roosted overnight close to the Barrage Al Massari dam on the Oum Er-Rbia River. The dam’s reservoir and wetlands were designated as a Ramsar site (a wetland of international importance) in 2005. Heading on the next morning, FR3 traversed the High Atlas mountains, reaching heights well in excess of 2000m above sea level. The 4th involved some more high flying for our young osprey, crossing the smaller Anti Atlas Mountains. FR3 reached the border with Western Sahara on the afternoon of the 5th and has continued SW from there.

FR4 by contrast has had a week of relative inactivity, travelling no further than 1km from what seems to have become an established daytime roost in mangrove swamp to the north of the Gambia river.