Fishermen in Siaya spot rare migratory bird from Finland
Local fishermen stumbled upon the bird while fishing in Lake Victoria near Usalo Beach. It is believed to be a fish-eating raptor.
Five years after the remarkable appearance of a Western Osprey that journeyed over 6,900 kilometers from Finland to Kenya, another rare migratory bird has been found in Usalo village, West Yimbo, Siaya County.
Local fishermen stumbled upon the bird while fishing in Lake Victoria near Usalo Beach. It is believed to be a fish-eating raptor.
Sadly, the bird became trapped in their nets and died before the fishermen noticed the identification rings attached to its legs.
Much like the Western Osprey that captured public attention in January 2020, this newly discovered bird was also tagged with a reference ring.
The ring marked "Museum Zool, Helsinki Finland, www.ring.ac, C6.U," confirms the bird was originally ringed in Finland.
While the Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is known to migrate to Kenya during the winter, sightings of ringed individuals remain exceptionally rare.
The 2020 finding sparked renewed interest in safeguarding Lake Victoria’s ecosystems.
At the time, Dr. Patrick Omondi, Director of Research at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), called on the Siaya County Government to strengthen conservation measures, especially in ecologically critical zones such as the Lake Kanyaboli National Reserve.
