Ospreys, rare fish-eating birds of prey, have been spotted in Sussex thanks to the latest in satellite technology.

The birds were fitted with state-of-the-art satellite tracking devices, letting RSPB workers follow them as they flew over the county.

One of the birds passed over Sussex on its winter migration to West Africa.

The transmitters were attached to the birds with biodegradable cotton and weighed just 30 to 35 grammes.

The ospreys had a torrid time when they last visited Sussex in May. They were mobbed by seagulls and peregrine falcons nesting at Sussex Heights in Brighton.

They were also spotted in Saltdean and at Selsey Bill.

Data from the birds was sent to the American NOAA satellite and returned to a monitoring station in France. It then reached the RSPB in Britain as an e-mail message.

Internet users can plot the progress of the birds through the Osprey Project's website.

www.ospreys.org.uk