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Satellite Ospreys 2003

Sponsored by Vattenfall Oy, a research project was started in the summer of 2001 by Sääksisäätiö (the Finnish Osprey foundation) and the Finnish Museum of Natural History. The goal of the project is to complement the mapping of the migration and wintering of Finnish Ospreys with the help of satellite tracking. Satellite technology enables us to track the progress of migration from a "bird's-eye view". Thus we can get exact information on such things as migration speed, and resting and refuelling sites, about which mere ring recoveries tell us very little. Because our overall knowledge about the migration and wintering of the Ospreys of Lapland is very sparse, the research is focused on these, "the world's northernmost" Ospreys.

During summer 2003, five new Ospreys were outfitted with satellite transmitters. For the adult Ospreys, we had three battery-powered transmitters, which will function for about a year, and for the young ones two solar-powered ones, which in principle will work ”for ever”.

In summer 2003, four Ospreys were moved from Häme to Mainland Spain to resurrect the population that had become extinct there. Two of them were fitted with satellite transmitters in Spain, and two of them were fitted with a traditional VHF transmitter. For comparability’s sake, we tried to catch the new satellite Ospreys from the same nests where the fledglings for Spain were taken. At Loppi, the male Osprey ”Vihtori” and his daughter ”Justiina” were fitted with a transmitter. Another of Vihtori’s daughters was moved to Spain. One of the solar-powered transmitters was fitted to ”Kaarina” from Kuhmalahti, a young female Osprey whose sister was moved to Spain. With a satellite transmitter on his back, the male Osprey ”Laho” set off from Tuulos, while his son was also moved to Spain. The bearer of the fifth transmitter, ”Sarsa,” is not connected with the Spanish project. Sarsa was recruited among the diners visiting the Osprey centre in Kangasala Pohtiolampi.

Laho This male Osprey from Tuulos started to cross the Sahara, but returned to the Mediterranean for a final fill-up before heading for the Ivory Coast.
Vihtori

This male Osprey from Loppi surprised us by flying along the shores of the Baltic to the southwest, ending up in Northern France, where he may have met his destiny.
Sarsa

Having visited the Osprey centre in Pohtiolampi, this male started his journey late but then made short time to Cameroon.
Justiina

This daughter of Vihtori from Loppi started on her migration ten days before her father, but stayed in the Baltic states for five weeks before continuing on her journey.
Kaarina

This young female Osprey stayed in Belorussia for four and a half weeks before continuing towards Turkey. She crossed the Black Sea at night.

Map symbols

  • Dark blue or dark red symbol: tracking precision < 1 km (Argos 3, 2 and 1).
  • Light blue or pink symbol: the tracking precision has not been noted, but it is probably some kilometres / some tens of kilometres (Argos 0, A and B).
  • White symbol: placement very unreliable
  • Dotted line: at least one end of the line segment is unreliable
  • Date: date when observed
  • Large symbol: established resting place