Migration Map

[Kukelke]

Yesterday Tiiu moved to the central part of western Slovakia:

[Kukelke]

September 6

Tiiu continued her journey yesterday and is now just south of the border between Hungary and Croatia:




There's a small lake about 1 km west of the trees where she is or has been roosting:




It looks more and more like that Tiiu is going to follow the central route to Africa, via Italy. Lets see where she is tomorrow.

[Felis silvestris]

Three Lesser Spotted eagles have been added to the migration map. Jaan, Aadu and Max.
Right now they and already known Karin and Magnus are still in Estonia. Wish you a safe journey!

[Kukelke]

Osprey Tiiu is making progress towards the Adriatic Sea. After flying directly over Croatian capital Zagreb, the latest data tells us she's a bit east of the city of Karlovac.

[Janne+Ais]

Please forgive me, if it is explained anywhere, I didn't find it: In which height do ospreys fly on their migration?

[macdoum]

Jeanne...ospreys fly at various heights,there is no rule.

[Urmas]

The flight height during the migration is very different, starting from zero and highest locations are near 2000m. Did not make any analysis, but seems in good conditions of thermals they use those possibilities for soaring and take remarkable heights to descend slowly and cover so long distances simply gliding.
But Ospreys are strong to fly like birds usually, flapping with wings. Therefore they can cross wide seas where almost no thermals appear.

New transmitters we use, do not measure height of the bird, so can say only according Erika and Maria we tracked previously.

Tiiu was by last data already crossing the Adrian sea, hope Italy will safely crossed as well. That is certainly not first time to migrate for Tiiu and probably the route was in past quite similar ones. Simply we did not follow it previously and do not know, how many times it happened already.

[Janne+Ais]

Thank you very much, Urmas! 2000 meters, astonishing! My hope was, that the transmitters measure the height. What a pitty, they don't. What datas do they collect, "only" the route? (What I think is really interesting and astonishing enough!)

[Bea]

Janne+Ais, in these posts about Rutland Ospreys´ migration are also some reports about the altitudes they had during their flights.

viewtopic.php?p=342507#p342507

and following posts

[Janne+Ais]

Thank you Bea! A lot to read...

[Bea]

9. September

Osprey Tiiu is in Bella Italia now, has already crossed Adriatic Sea

[Kukelke]

September 10

Osprey Tiiu has safely crossed the Mediterranean Sea from Italy to Tunesia and is now in Africa. Now the long trip over the Sahara is the final obstacle for reaching her wintering grounds:




It looks like Tiiu has flown all night and now is looking for a place to rest:




Zoomed out a bit again, the map shows a small artifical lake. Hopefully Tiiu can catch a meal there:




I've just checked satellite images of the Sahara south of where Tiiu is, and there is some major sandstorm activity there, which she probably can see from afar. So Tiiu is a smart osprey to stop here to rest and hopefully eat a bit while waiting for better conditions to cross the Sahara desert.

[Janne+Ais]

For me this is breathtaking. A wonder of nature. If she goes on this way, she will come to another lake, where she probably could find fishes.The last meal befor crossing Sahara?
Good luck girl!

[Kukelke]

If she goes on this way, she will come to another lake, where she probably could find fishes.

I fear this is not the case. Tiiu is now more or less on the edge where vegetation ends and sand and stone desert begins. The lakes south and southwest of her are (dry) salt lakes which occasionally receive some water in the winter months. If the name of a lake in that area starts with 'Chott' it means it's a salt lake. The big lake south of Tiiu is Chott el (D)Jerid: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chott_el_Djerid

So I really think this small artificial lake is her last chance to eat before crossing the desert. The kind of artificial lakes like the one close to where she is resting, are often used for irrigation and a source of fish for the local people.
Having said that, ospreys often don't eat at all between crossing the Mediterranean Sea and Sahara, and arriving south of the Sahara. Ilmar's migration routes show that too.

[Bea]

September 11

Osprey Tiiu has left Tunesia and changed to Algeria now, area of El Oued

[Kukelke]

Osprey Tiiu obviously used her stop yesterday to rest and went -as expected- to that artificial lake to fish, close to where she roosted, before she went on to Algeria:

[Kukelke]

@ Urmas,

Can you tell us what type of tracker is used on osprey Tiiu: a GSM or satellite tracker, or something else maybe?

[macdoum]

Tilu has not chosen the easiest of routes. Unless she changes now,she has the whole Sahara desert to cross now and The Atlas mountains;

http://www.google.fr/imgres?imgurl=http ... BA&dur=584

(is Tilu a male or female osprey ?)

[Bea]

She is a female, macdoum


From migration map text
http://birdmap.5dvision.ee/index.php?lang=en

...
First started the autumn migration our new Osprey named Tiiu. This is female bird we caught in Leoki fish farm near Sõmerpalu, Võrumaa county, Estonia just before migration. Most probably Tiiu is breeding in the nest we followed through webcam in 2012 as empty nest that time (kalakotkas2). Later 2013-2014 the nest was successful with two chicks in there.
...

[macdoum]

Thank you Bea