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Can anyone tell me if and where you may have seen Ospreys, particularly S. Africa?

Ospreys from the UK tend to migrate to West Africa, Senegal/Gambia. Ospreys found in ZAR would most likely be from Finland.

I would also be very interested to hear of any Osprey sightings in Namibia, if any?

Thanks.

Almost a year ago to the day SueJ, an osprey with a fish in its talons flew over my head 50 metres from the Geelbek restaurant in West Coast National Park. Lovely sighting, especially as I had seen 2 through a scope at about 1 km the day before.

In Dec last year, I saw one on the Okavango river panhandle. Wonder where it was from?

I saw an Osprey between Allidays and Mapungubwe around Christmas time.

I regularly Ospreys in the West Coast National Park. On one occasion last year I saw 3 hunting over the Geelbek hide, and 2 of them had caught big Mullett.

Last year (2012) in January, we saw an Osprey close to Op die Berg in the Cederberg near Ceres.

I saw them at Ndumo Jan 1999.

Osprey Pandion haliaetus Pandion was the name of a king that lived in Athens. Apparently the king changed into an Osprey, hence the name. haiaetus comes from the Greek words halieos 'fisherman' and aetos, 'eagle'

Lovely answers, keep them coming please!

Thanks for that Bush Baptist - very interesting. They are wonderful to see fishing!

Where I worked until a week ago (now retired) we have an ongoing, successful Osprey project, where the birds were re-introduced into the English Midlands after being absent there for 100 years. We satellite tracked 2 birds over the previous 2 years, to their migration grounds and home again. Fascinating details showed the speed, height and distance they flew each day, where they roosted, etc.

Sadly one of those birds was predated on the journey over the Sahara last Autumn, and we were lucky enough to have someone go and find the remains and tag so we knew more or less exactly what had happened to him.

There are some details of this on the website at: http://www.ospreys.org.uk

I am interested to know where they are or are not seen elsewhere in the African continent.

I saw my first one at Portmadog on the northwest coast of Wales with Barcud in 2010.

Then you probably saw a Rutland Osprey! The now famous Welsh female who now breeds in Mid-Wales was in fact a Rutland bred and hatched bird.

This is good as it shows that the project is successful and birds bred in Rutland are beginning to spread out across the UK.

I regularly see them at Mkhombo Dam in Mpumalanga, 120km North east of Pretoria. Saw them on my past 2 visits there last month, and in December last year. Snapped this shot there in December.

Try Sable dam, it is seen here often.

[quote="MattAxel"]I regularly see them at Mkhombo Dam in Mpumalanga, 120km North east of Pretoria. Saw them on my past 2 visits there last month, and in December last year. Snapped this shot there in December.

Fantastic shot MattAxel ! Thanks.

We saw an osprey on 2 separate occasions in October 2012 from Ngwenya Lodge which is situated the banks of the Crocodile River bordering Kruger Park.

Roodeplaat dam just north of Pretoria.
Doorndraai dam situated between Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) and Mokopane (Potgietersrus).
Sable dam in Kruger NP.

Very erratic one at Sable dam, Kruger National Park.

Best place by far to see Osprey is Umgeni River Mouth, Durban as well as Bayhead in Durban.

Mkhombo dam, Mpumulanga is another very reliable spot.

Southern Cape - Grootbrak River mouth and we also picked up one in the Knysna Lagoon in December.