AN osprey born on a Scottish wildlife reserve three years ago has been spotted alive and well on a beach in Africa.
The bird of prey, known as Blue YD, was photographed by conservationists on the beachfront at Lompoul sur Mer in western Senegal.
Blue YD was born on one of the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) reserves near Forfar, Angus, and was fitted with a radio transmitter in 2012.
Before it stopped sending signals, the well-travelled raptor was tracked at various times in North Yorkshire and St Andrews, but has now taken wing to the warmer climes of Senegal, where ospreys spend the winter months.
It was spotted by staff and volunteers from (SWT's) sister charity the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust, who have visiting West Africa since 2011 to educate African school children on the story of osprey migration.
Rab Potter, the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Reserves Manager for North East Scotland, said: “Ospreys are a wonderful conservation success story. Once extinct in the UK, there are now around 240 breeding pairs in the UK thanks to the efforts of nature conservation charities like the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust.
"But for such a high profile species, there’s still an awful lot we don’t know. That's why satellite tagging is so important - because it helps us get a better insight into the lives, migration routes and behaviours of these magnificent birds."
John Wright, Field Officer for the Rutland Osprey Project, added: “This is the second visit I’ve made to Lompoul sur Mer and both times I’ve counted around one hundred ospreys consisting of many German and Scottish birds.
"It was fantastic to see that Blue YD was alive and well. He’ll no doubt be enjoying the final few weeks of warmth before he makes his way back to the UK for the breeding season at the end of March.”
Jonathan Pinnick, Assistant Manager at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre, which is famous for its ospreys, said he hoped the bird would return to Scotland to breed.
He said: “It’s wonderful to learn more about the life of a bird that we have followed since it was a fledgling and it shows the value of tagging in allowing us to track the life history of individual birds.
"Perhaps he will be spotted back in Angus this summer, hopefully breeding and helping the continued recovery of the osprey population in Scotland.”
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