Andalusian bird watch
The osprey
The Andalucía Bird Society recommends looking out for the Pandion haliaetus this month
Peter Jones
Ronda
Friday, 4 October 2024, 14:51
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Peter Jones
Ronda
Friday, 4 October 2024, 14:51
Osprey have been successful in establishing themselves once more in Spain and here in Andalucía attracting local birdwatchers to areas where they occur and breed. ... To add to local birds, many northern European birds enter our region on their migration to and from Africa. Ospreys are one of the most charismatic and cosmopolitan of all bird species. The species' global distribution and migratory habits lend it to collaborative projects. As Yossi Leshem has demonstrated through his work in the Middle East, migrating birds like ospreys cross national, cultural and religious boundaries and have great potential to link communities separated by hundreds if not thousands of miles. Ospreys provide us with a truly unique opportunity to engage and link communities across the world.
Most northern European ospreys winter in sub-Saharan Africa, passing through Andalucía as they do so. Recent advances in satellite tracking have enhanced our understanding of their migration greatly. GPS transmitters give hourly fixes for tracked birds, providing data on location, altitude, speed and orientation. This has allowed researchers to follow the journey of migratory ospreys in unprecedented detail.
The work has shown that ospreys from Western Europe - UK, Germany, France and Sweden - follow a westerly migration route taking them into Spain and across the Mediterranean into Morocco. They then skirt around the Atlas Mountains before crossing the western part of the Sahara. Satellite tracked birds have then wintered at various points along the West Africa coast - from Mauritania south to Guinea.
Birds nesting further east - in Finland and Estonia for example - use a more easterly route. They fly south through Eastern Europe and into the Middle East. From there they head into North Africa across the eastern part of the Sahara before wintering in countries such as Sudan and Cameroon. Others continue further south, with one Finnish-tracked bird wintering on the southern coast of South Africa - a record-breaking migration of 12,500 kilometres.
The Osprey Migration Foundation (OMF) had been set up in order to link schools along osprey migration flyways. Using satellite-tracked birds as a guide, the OMF has already initiated links between primary schools in England and Gambia. Children at the schools have exchanged letters and video diaries. With ospreys as the common link, this provides them with a unique way to learn about other cultures, religions and languages. It will also greatly enhance their knowledge of bird migration.
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