We were treated to an early Christmas present on December 24th 2019, with the first sighting of one of our newly-released Ospreys seen at Gunjur Quarry in the Gambia. Since then, the same individual, ringed 019, has been reported twice in the same location, on January 19th and February 29th.

After their first migration, young Ospreys spend much of the winter roaming large distances to find an ideal over-wintering site. Gunjur Quarry is very suitable for Ospreys, often supporting 30-40 individuals at a time. 019 was first reported there by Joanna Dailey with her local guide Fansu Bojang. Since then Chris Wood, who has spent a lot of time near the site, has seen her on 2 occasions.

019 – Chris Wood

This could suggest that 019 is settling in at Gunjur Quarry, which is promising as we know it is well-monitored and perfect for supporting Ospreys. During the project last year, 019 was the smallest individual to be translocated, the last to fly, and the last to leave on migration. Evidently, her slower development has not impacted her survival instincts, and she can be seen looking very healthy in the most recent photo we have been sent by Chris Wood.

This is very exciting news, especially as we enter UK Osprey season in the next few weeks. Will she be reported there again and will we have reports of any other translocated juveniles in their wintering grounds? We need to be on the lookout for any returnees so keep your eyes on the skies, and stay updated about local Osprey information with our blogs.