Wintering Ospreys
Photo by Arne Ader
Map by Google Maps
Better late than too late… The two ospreys we're tracking have both been in their wintering grounds for some time now. Maria, wearing her backpack for the third season, is wintering in the exact same place she's wintered the last two (possibly more) years. Maria began her journey from the Narva Reservoir on the 24th of July and made it to the Manga village near the Congo River on September 13th. Maria's winter home is situated nearly one hundred kilometers above the equator and she moves about an area of approximately 10 x 10 kilometers.
Portrait of an osprey
Our second osprey, Erika, is carrying her backpack for the second year. When we captured Erika she was Maria's neighbor, but ironically they choose to winter apart from each other—2,500 kilometers apart! Erika is also wintering in the exact same location as last year—the eastern Sudan, not far from the Ethiopian border. Erika began her fall migration on the morning of September 19th, and not from her own nest but rather from the edge of St. Petersburg, Russia, where she took a rest before her journey. Erika arrived at her wintering grounds on October 3rd.
Their flight paths can be seen on the map below:
