The young bird, which is being tracked by satellite as part of a unique project by the RSPB, has already flown for longer and further than any other recorded osprey.

But time is fast running out for the bird, which fledged at the charity's Loch Garten reserve, by Boat of Garten, over the summer, given his heroic but wayward efforts so far.

He missed his most likely refuge point – the Azores – late on Sunday, despite coming within 300km of Santa Maria, the warmest and most southern point of the archipelago, and has been flying over sea ever since.

To reach the next port of call, he would have to fly non-stop for three to four more days before reaching Suriname in South America. Bird experts think that is highly unlikely, given that he is already breaking records for days out at sea.

The last recorded satellite point, which was taken late on Monday afternoon, showed that Deshar was flying at an altitude of 500 metres and has so far travelled an incredible non-stop 1,978 miles (3,185km).

RSPB spokesman David Gascoigne, who has been following Deshar's progress since the bird hatched at Loch Garten, said that its fate seemed to be sealed after missing the Azores –although he could not bring himself to spell it out.

"The facts are now clear – on his current course, the next landfall is 2,470 miles (4,000km) away in Suriname, South America – three to four days away," he said.

"No juvenile has ever flown longer or further than Deshar, as far as we know. Deshar is now a world champion at both time and distance."

Scores of bloggers who are following the drama on the RSPB's website are clinging onto the last vestige of hope that the four-month-old osprey could spot a ship in mid-Atlantic where he can rest up following his marathon eff-orts. There are reports by osprey expert Roy Dennis of an osprey boarding a trawler on April 25, 1978 and hiding under a winch.

But the drama is getting too much for some followers. One visitor, 'Louie', said: "My stomach is just turning over – and I'm just gutted, choked and very tearful – I dare not hope any more, it's just too upsetting. My other half thinks I'm a nutcase now – perhaps I am, but I can't leave it behind."

Another blogger called Brenda said: "There has to be a very tired, if not exhausted, bird out there, and I feel we can only pray for a miracle, hopefully in the form of a ship which Deshar can stow aboard. After all this effort, he deserves to survive."

'Julie25' wrote: "I'm sitting here with my stomach in knots. Let's just keep hoping that Deshar's undaunting spirit keeps him flying and that he is carried east again on the winds. Never has a single bird had so many people rooting for him!"

It is the second time on his migration that the young bird has taken a wrong turn while heading for warmer climes for the winter.

Shortly after leaving the nest at the RSPB's Loch Garten reserve at the end of August, he headed out over the North Sea before realising his navigational error – but this time he may not be so lucky.

Deshar was the male chick of the two youngsters reared at the nest this summer, and named after the local primary school at Boat of Garten. He finally set off on Friday morning on the next stage of his migration, having been in Kent for over a month.

As part of a unique project, Deshar and his sister, Nethy, are being tracked by satellite to give experts – and the public – a better insight into the migration habits of the species.

Deshar has his ID rings and satellite tag fitted in the summer at Loch Garten. Roy Dennis (left) attaches the tracker, while Ross Watson (Abernethy Warden) who climbed the tree to get the chicks from the nest, looks on. S Taylor

Mr Richard Thaxton, RSPB Scotland site manager at Loch Garten, is at a loss to explain how the young male bird got it so wrong, particularly when the Continent was within his sight.

He said: "Deshar ought to have been able to see France from his position close to the Kent coast and made this his next step on his onward journey to West Africa.

"Unfortunately, he instead headed west-south-west, missing land altogether, and has headed out into the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean.

"As fish-eaters, ospreys are, of course, no strangers to water, but the open ocean without nearby landfall is a precarious place for him to be.

"If the weather out there cuts up rough, it can be like being in a washing machine for migrant birds - or the bird equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle."

The island of Santa Maria has an area of 97.18 km² and is the third smallest of the group in the Azores. Mr Thaxton described it as like finding a needle in a haystack, and was not surprised that Deshar had missed it.

He said: "We just hope Deshar finds somewhere where he can rest, and soon. Boats can serve as resting places for migrant birds like ospreys, as can oil or gas platforms, but I do not think there will be any of those structures that far out."

The only thing to Dehar's advantage is that before leaving on his odyssey, he would have had time to build up large fat reserves, but even they will be heavily depleted by now.

Mr Howard Edge, head teacher at Deshar Primary School, was saddened to hear of the bird's plight.

He said: "This week we are holding our annual Eco School Action Week, and part of the plan was for a talk to the pupils about ospreys and to introduce them to the tracking scheme, so that we could then follow Deshar's progress. Unfortunately, it appears that our timing is horribly wrong."

There is much better news for Deshar's sister, Nethy, which is making much smoother progress, and by Monday evening was 50km North-east of Rennes in France.

She started the latest leg of her trip from Gloucestershire, where she had been resting up for over a month waiting for a break in the weather.

At 11am on Sunday she flew due south for three hours, covering 91km before stopping to rest just 1.6km from the English Channel and then heading for the Continent.

The fortunes of Deshar and Nethy can be follwed here

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