A spring stopover of a migratory osprey (Pandion haliaetus) in northern Spain as revealed by satellite tracking: implications for conservation

• Main Authors: Galarza, A., Dennis, R. H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona 2009
• Subjects: Behaviour; Habitat selection; Migratory raptor; Protected area; Site suitability; Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve; Zoology; QL1-991; osprey; Pandion haliaetus
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/03e70ed38d5948d9baa565e0037cb99b

Improvements in the accuracy of satellite telemetry locations now allow detailed studies on territorial behaviour or use of habitat that can be used to enhance bird conservation. In this paper we describe the behaviour of a satellite-tracked adult female osprey (Pandion haliaetus) in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve (N Spain) to evaluate the suitability of this protected area for the species. The data set consisted of 10 complete days with a total of 145 exact fixes received. Night roosts were mainly surrounded by high or intermediate level protected land, separated from roads or buildings by more than 200 m and located less than one km away from the feeding area. During daylight hours, most fixes (76.5%) were located in wooded areas. We found that the bird selected holm oak woods and we suggest that this is related to low disturbance from human activity. We also suggest that northern Spanish estuaries are important as stopovers by migrating ospreys for feeding during migration.