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Here is the latest report from
Ian Falkenberg regarding our tracked Osprey and Wedge Tailed Eagles
Hi everyone
Please find attached updated satellite tracking data for some of the Ospreys and Wedge-tailed Eagles for February 2023.
Port Lincoln (Barge) – Osprey Zoe - (February 2023)
The satellite tracking data for this female Osprey shows that she has been fledged for about 75 days and one of the first to fledge this season. Not surprising that this female has now become independent of her parents and fits within the established time frame for independence. Over the past week this Osprey has travelled to Mount Hope and onto to Elliston, out to Flinders Island and returned to Mount Hope. However the most surprising flights were through central Eyre Peninsula, Lake Gairdner and to Woomera where she remained for a couple of days on permanent water holes (near the sewage treatment works) and creek system on the outskirts of Woomera and then following a number of inland creeks and a series of lakes to the edge of Lake Torrens and then following inland lakes and creeks south to upper Eyre peninsula and then back to the coast near Elliston. Apart from an over night stay in some roadside mallee near Warramboo and mallee in Bascombe Well CP.
Some generally observations;
1. These type of inland flights for Ospreys can be particularly risky and whilst there maybe an abundant of water in these areas at present, foraging for fish would not be particularly easy in turbid waters and for a young Osprey that has recently become independent from its parents.
2. The flights to Woomera and Lake Torrens are very direct movements (few stop overs). These flights whilst relatively short in Australia, may have some similarities to the northern hemisphere Ospreys which are migratory and travel vast distances when they leave the dependency of their parents.
3. The return flight from Woomera and Lake Torrens to Elliston is also very direct (few stop overs).
4. The attraction for these significant inland flights may be the amount of surface water throughout parts of inland south Australia. Over the past 18 months these areas have received significant rainfalls and all bird life has flourished including water birds, wetland birds, migratory shore birds, etc, etc.
Kangaroo Island – Cape Gantheaume – (February 2023)
One female Osprey young fitted with a Satellite Tracker on the 12th December 2022. This Osprey young fledged on the 22nd December 2022 and has been on the wing for 48 days. Clearly this Osprey is still dependent on its parents and her range over the past 4 weeks is less than 2 km from the nest with a preference to the northern end of Wheatons Beach
Price - American River / Pelican Lagoon - (February 2023)
The Osprey (Phantom) remains in the American River / Pelican Lagoon area, 16 months following fitting of the satellite tracker in early Nov 2021. Not a great deal to report other than this Osprey still prefers the American Beach area north of Pelican Lagoon.
Price Osprey - Yorke Peninsula – (February 2023)
Two male Osprey young produced at this artificial nest platform, the heaviest chick fitted with a satellite tracker fledged on the 14th December and has been on the wing for about 55 days. Clearly this male Osprey is still dependent on its parents and his range over the past 4 weeks is about 12 km from the nest to north of Clinton township with a preference also for the Price Salt Fields south of Price.
Yackamoorundie – Wedge-tailed Eagle – (January 2023)
This male WTE has been fledged for 65 weeks (457 days) and continues to make some very significant flights over southern South Australia. Over the past month he has spent some considerable time in the south east near Kingston (SE). However last week when the tracker did not connect with the network for about 4 days, I thought the worst. This could mean a mortality. On Wednesday 1st February, I had planned to drive to Kingston to the last known location of the Eagle in a paddock about 800 meters from a farm house and try to find and retrieve the Eagle for an autopsy. At 5am I had checked the tracker one last time before departing for Kingston and low and behold the tracker had connected to the network and the Eagle was now near Truro in the Barossa Valley (15 minutes from where I live). The Elevation Profile shows that over the 31 days he travelled a total of 1,008 km. The single flight between Kingston and Truro was 248 km at an average altitude of 1,000 meters elevation during this flight only. Average elevation for flights over the 31 days was 440meters. Maximum elevation for flights was 1,734 mtrs Again clearly this WTE has a preference for the eastern Mount Lofty Ranges around the Truro area.
Stoney Gap - Wedge-tailed Eagle – (February 2023)
This female WTE has been fledged for 66.5 weeks (465 days) and has been spending some time amongst wind farms in the Mid North near Peterborough and Orroroo. If you look closely at the map and follow the roads linking wind turbines, you can see the towers and shadows on the ground of about 30 wind turbines. As I have highlighted previously, these wind farms would be considered high risk for Eagles and clearly the remnant vegetation along the these range of hills and ridgelines are prime eagle habitat (Also important to note that the Peterborough and Orroroo areas have a long history of Eagle persecution)
