Exactly five years after a remarkable event where a Western Osprey flew over 6,900 kilometers from Finland to Kenya, something equally surprising has happened again.

This time, another rare migratory bird from Finland was found in Usalo village, which is in West Yimbo, Siaya County.

Local fishermen made the unexpected discovery one day as they were casting their nets in Lake Victoria, right near Usalo Beach.

While they were busy fishing, they accidentally caught a large bird in their nets. Sadly, by the time they pulled the bird out of the water, it had already died.

They only noticed something special after it was too late—the bird had metal identification rings attached to its legs.

Interestingly, this bird is believed to be a fish-eating raptor, just like the Western Osprey that made headlines back in January 2020.

That earlier bird had traveled an astonishing distance all the way from Finland to Kenya. Similarly, this new bird also had a small ring with markings that gave important information.

The information

When the fishermen and local wildlife experts looked at the ring closely, they saw that it was marked:
Museum Zool, Helsinki Finland, www.ring.ac, C6.U.

This meant that, just like the Western Osprey before it, this bird had been ringed in Finland.

Now, even though the Western Osprey (scientific name: Pandion haliaetus) is known to come to Kenya regularly during the winter, it’s still very rare to find birds that have been ringed and tracked like this.

So, when it happens, it’s a big deal for scientists and conservationists.

Back in 2020, when the first ringed Western Osprey was found in Kenya, it created a lot of excitement and concern.

Many people—including Dr. Patrick Omondi, the Director of Research at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)—called for stronger protection of areas around Lake Victoria.

At the time, he urged the Siaya County Government to increase their conservation efforts, especially in important natural places like the Lake Kanyaboli National Reserve.

This latest discovery is another reminder of how connected different parts of the world are through wildlife migration.

It also shows why protecting these habitats is so important—and not just for Kenya, but for the entire world.

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