The WOW race hots up! - By Kayleigh Brookes on March 31, 2015
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As we wait expectantly for the next Ospreys to arrive at Rutland Water, it is extraordinary to think that, all over the globe, Ospreys are making similar journeys back to their breeding grounds. The latest update on the Ospreys we’re following as part of World Osprey Week shows how much the birds’ journeys can be affected by the weather.
As we have seen through 30(05)‘s data, her journey so far this year has been severely impaired by the weather, and her progress has been slow. The same is true of her latest day’s travelling. Yesterday she travelled only 129km (80 miles), and, as of yesterday evening, she is still in France, 119km (74 miles) from Calais.
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She left her roost at 08:00 yesterday morning, flew over Louviers and across the River Seine. She stopped at 14:00 at a location near Senarpont, on the River Bresle, and it was there that she roosted last night. As you can see from the photo below, there are several lagoons in the area, which makes it a very sensible spot for 30 to stay.
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The wind has been rather severe over France, with winds predicted to gust at 43mph later today. This is clearly why 30 is still travelling slowly and decided to stop yesterday afternoon. It is comforting to know that she is being sensible – roosting early, flying slowly and avoiding flying through the bad weather fronts. She will get home eventually!
Judging by her latest position, it looks as though 30 is taking a similar route to the one she took last spring. In the map below, you can see (furthest right green line) that 30 crossed the English Channel at almost its narrowest point, between Calais and Dover. It is interesting to see that she is heading the same way this season. The other two lines on the map show her autumn migrations in 2013 (green) and 2014 (purple).
http://www.ospreys.org.uk/the-wow-race-hots-up/