'Human Swan' in first expedition since fatal air crash

Conservationist Sacha Dench says her cameraman will be with her "in spirit" on her first expedition since his death in an air crash.

Dan Burton, 54, died when their paramotors collided over the north west Highlands in September last year.

Ms Dench, dubbed the Human Swan for a previous expedition tracking Bewick's swans, still has one of her legs in a metal brace and uses crutches.

She will lead a team of nine following migrating ospreys, but is not flying.

"I can't say thoughts of flying aren't on my mind," she said.

"But for now I need to focus on getting stronger and walking comfortably."

Ms Dench said time would tell whether she would recover well enough to be able to fly using a paramotor again.

The expedition called Flight of the Osprey will track the birds of prey as they travel 6,213 miles - almost 10,000km - from Findhorn on Moray coast in north east Scotland to Ghana through 14 countries, including England, Wales and Portugal.

Australian-born Ms Dench told BBC Scotland that it would honour Mr Burton's memory.

She said: "Dan will be sorely missed and he was an important part of the project.

"He is with us in spirit. I feel like I am doing this as much for him and his legacy, as I am for the osprey and all the people along the way."

The conservationist added: "As well as looking at osprey we will be looking at the big issues of our time - climate change, the use of resources and how we fix them. We just don't have time to waste."

The Flight of the Osprey crew are travelling in three vehicles, including a converted army ambulance which has been fitted with a shower and kitchen and painted white with a map of the route and ospreys on it.

Drones will also be used for observing the birds.

The project run by Conservation Without Borders, which has its UK office in Chagford, Devon, involves a journey lasting about four months.

The aim of the mission is to gather data and highlight the impacts of climate change and human activities on ospreys and other wildlife, after the original trip in 2020 was postponed due to Covid.

Ospreys migrate on their own, which means the young ones make the epic and often perilous feat of endurance without adults birds.

Ms Dench said only 70% of juveniles return for breeding, and the team wants to know more about why.

The conservationist and Mr Burton were in the final stages of a challenge to circumnavigate Britain to raise awareness of climate change when their accident happened.

Their paramotors collided close to Loch Na Gainmhich near Lochinver in Sutherland.

The pair were flying the battery-powered paramotors to mark UN climate change conference, COP26, which was being held later in 2021 in Glasgow.

Ms Dench was nicknamed the Human Swan for flying 4,300 miles (7,000km) on a paramotor across Russia and Europe in 2016 to track Bewick's swans.

Flight of the Osprey is a conservation project in collaboration with UN agencies, scientists, media and governments.