Satellite tags have been fitted to two osprey chicks hatched this spring at the famous RSPB Loch Garten Osprey Centre, allowing wildlife enthusiasts to track their progress online.
By late August, the young ospreys, a female named Tore and a male named Bynack, will leave the safety of their nest to begin their 3,000 mile migratory trip to West Africa.
The tags will transmit data so that the huge online audience can follow the fortunes and movements of the birds over the next few years.
Richard Thaxton, site manager at RSPB Scotland Loch Garten Osprey Centre, said: “These chicks have had the best possible start in life thanks to the sterling efforts of their proud parents. While EJ has been playing the attentive mum, Odin has been bringing back numerous fish every day to make sure no little mouths go hungry.
“Tore and Bynack need to be in tiptop condition to ensure that they survive the huge journey to West Africa at the end of August. We know from tracking other ospreys that the first year can be the most dangerous. These tags will not only help us understand more about the migratory movements of ospreys, but also allows others to follow their adventures for the foreseeable future.”
Last year, for the first time in forty years, no young ospreys were tagged or ringed at RSPB Loch Garten after unseasonably windy weather thwarted efforts.
Of the two sat-tagged female chicks from in 2009, contact has not been made with Mallachie for over a year. However, Rothes was tracked to Guinea-Bissau where she remained for almost two years before recently beginning a partial return migration north, currently in Morocco. Her progress is documented on: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/tracking/lochgartenospreys/index.asp
Loch Garten Osprey Centre is open daily from 10am until 6pm until the end of August when the season ends.
This post was written by the RSPB, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Charity registered in England and Wales no 207076, in Scotland no SC037654.
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