Exactly five years after a Western Osprey made headlines for flying over 6,900 kilometers from Finland to Kenya, another rare migratory bird has been discovered in Usalo village, West Yimbo, Siaya County.
Local fishermen found the bird entangled in their fishing nets while casting near Usalo Beach on Lake Victoria. The bird, believed to be a fish-eating raptor, had already died by the time they noticed the identification rings on its legs.
Similar to the Western Osprey spotted in 2020, the bird bore a reference ring marked: Museum Zool, Helsinki Finland, www.ring.ac, C6.U, confirming it had been ringed in Finland.
Although the Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is known to visit Kenya during the winter, recoveries of ringed specimens remain rare. The 2020 sighting sparked calls for stronger conservation measures around Lake Victoria’s catchment zones.
Following that discovery, Dr. Patrick Omondi, Director of Research at the Kenya Wildlife Service, urged the Siaya County Government to intensify protection of ecologically sensitive areas such as the Lake Kanyaboli National Reserve.
