IN SUMMARY
Rare migratory bird from Finland has a reference a metallic silver ring on its left leg which bears a unique number and an address indicating the bird is from Museum Zool, Helsinki in Finland.
In a tiny village of Usalo, West Yimbo Location, Bondo Sub-County in Siaya County, a fisherman, Walter Oloo spotted a rare slim bird with long narrow wings and raptor eyes struggling to free itself after it was caught in his fishing net in the waters of Lake Kanyaboli on Thursday, January 20, 2020.
Oloo alerted the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) personnel in Siaya County. The rare bird was delivered to the KWS Veterinary Department on Thursday, January 23.
It was was established that the rare migratory bird which had a reference a metallic silver ring on its left leg bearing a unique number and an address indicating that the bird originated from 6,948 kilometres away from Museum Zool, Helsinki in Finland.
According to KWS Director of Communications Paul Udoto, the bird confirmed to be a fish-eating Osprey had some bruises on the leg but appeared healthy, although it lost some weight and dehydrated.
Udoto said that the 950-gram bird captured in Siaya is currently receiving treatment and care at Raptor Centre in Karen, Nairobi and will be released after treatment before the migration season towards North starts in early March.
He noted that the bird might have come to Kenya to take a break from the winter season in Europe.
- “Just like tourists come to Kenya to enjoy the sun, ospreys among other bird species migrate to tropical countries in winter. The bird was probably flying to the southern hemisphere in which Kenya lies along,” said Udoto
Kenya Wildlife Service Director Biodiversity, Research and Planning Dr Patrick Omondi also confirmed that the rare migratory bird known as Osprey that flew over 6,000km from Finland to Kenya will be taken back to where it was rescued once it stabilises adding that this will ensure the bird does not lose its bearings.
- “We have been in touch with the people who ringed the bird in Finland. We found out that it was ringed in 2017,” Omondi said.
Omondi said the Osprey male bird has reached breeding period and by Monday, they would have known if it could be taken to where it was rescued.
Ospreys are migratory birds. There are two major reasons that explain their migration.
They, primarily, move from one place to another depending on weather patterns and travel ‘for holidays’ after their breeding seasons.
Ospreys, scientifically known as Pandion haliaetus, are also referred to as sea hawks or river hawks.
According to The National Geographic (NatGeo), Osprey species is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range.
