The blog for 'this week' is easy - Roy Dennis has written it for me! Here is Roy's wonderful account of his journey to Africa to try and track Einion down for the BBC's Autumnwatch series...

Roy: I visited Somone Lagoon with the BBC Autumnwatch programme on 8th and 9th November.  We drove north after visiting Ile des Oiseaux in the Sine Saloum delta and that evening as we approached our hotel in the evening light we saw two ospreys near the road. Just as I was getting my Swarovski scope on to it, the young osprey took off - it had a yellow ring on the left leg, and was almost certainly a young bird from Scotland. And the osprey that chased it off was an adult with a white ring on the left flank – another Scottish bird, but both got away without being identified as the light was fading fast.

Einion's favourite mangrove island on Somone Lagoon, Senegal.  ©  Roy Dennis

We stayed at the Hotel Les Mangiers (chosen because Einion roosted in a big tree behind the hotel); it was an ideal base and we could look down from the hotel onto Somone Lagoon. I recommend it as a wonderful place to stay.  Somone Lagoon is a salt water tidal lagoon surrounded with mangroves and with a couple of mangrove islands in the middle. There’s a big tourist hotel beside the beach and plenty of people out on the beaches, which have cafes and tourists on jet skis.  

Next morning was an early start and Erik, the hotel owner, took us down to the edge of the lagoon and showed how we could wade out through shallow water and search for ospreys. As soon as we got out of the car, an osprey landed in a tree with a fish. In no time with the scope I identified its black ring – a German adult female; and a little later I identified a second. We made it through to the main inner lagoon where a succession of adult ospreys caught yellow-tailed mullet and flew off to perch in big trees away from the water.

An adult female osprey searches the Somone lagoons for yellow-tailed mullet.  ©  Roy Dennis

When the water got too deep, Erik used his mobile to call a local fishing boat and these two young men helped us for the rest of our stay. We knew Einion’s favourite locations and we checked them without luck – we just kept seeing adults – probably at least 30 ospreys regularly feed here. There were lots of other birds – the best a flock of 110 whimbrel on a muddy bank with two ospreys sitting among them – and both species allowed us within 100 metres! Solomon our bird guide, and the BBC team Lucy, Mike and Dave spent a very fruitful time filming that morning, and to top it off just as we were about to head off after 10.30 – Einion flew over our heads – great jubilation from the guides, boatmen and ourselves. He flew steadily south and despite intensive searching later in the afternoon and evening we failed to relocate him – even from the top of a large building overlooking the mangroves.

The BBC crew filming Einion for the Autumnwatch series as he flew overhead. ©  Roy Dennis

At dusk we were at the top of the hill behind the hotel, looking at the acacia tree in which Einion roosted at the start of his stay, and enjoying the sun setting out over the Atlantic Ocean. Really great start to our visit. Next day we were at the shore at dawn and the boatmen took us up into the fishing lagoon, but unlike the day before there was a fresh breeze, and the ospreys were all catching fish in sheltered waters hidden behind the mangroves and cheekily flew across in front of us - some with huge fish. We then set off for Einion’s favourite locations and drew a complete blank – every osprey I looked at was an adult. Somone lagoon is undoubtedly an excellent wintering site for ospreys and that’s why it’s been claimed by the adults. Einion has been clever to settle down here by hiding and roosting in the mangroves, rather than try to compete with the adults roosting in the big trees in the surrounding countryside.

Adult male osprey with a fish, identified as a German bird by his black leg ring.  ©  Roy Dennis

We searched high and low throughout the lagoon without success, but as we were standing in what we called the whimbrel lagoon, checking out adult ospreys flying by, Einion came from the south and flew over our heads after 11am. We saw him land in a favourite site in the mangroves, and then he was off again, and we watched as he flew right out towards the inner part of the entrance channel, and in no time he was flying back with a fish. Mike managed to film him as he flew in over the mangrove island and then he dropped down into the centre of it where we could not see him. There was no way we could overlook his perch, where he was eating his fish, so we headed off – job done. There’s no doubt that Somone lagoon is absolutely ideal osprey wintering habitat and if Einion can hang in there with all those competitive adults he will do well.

Roy Dennis - November 2011
Highland Foundation for Wildlife and Guest Presenter BBC Autumnwatch
www.roydennis.org for other tracked ospreys and other projects

Roy with three new friends, bird guide, Solomon, and two local fishermen.  ©  Lucy Smith/BBC