Cottage Diary - Aspenwood self catering luxury Holiday Cottage overlooking Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland.

Went to the RSPB [Royal Society for the Protection of Birds] Osprey Centre at Loch Garten not far from the bustling village of Aviemore, a journey of about 45 miles from Aspenwood. The osprey is a magnificent fish-eating bird of prey with a wingspan of approximately 150cms and about 60cms in length. They were once widespread in the UK but its numbers decreased dramatically as it was persecuted by egg collectors and hunters. In 1959, after an absence of almost 40 years, a pair nested near Loch Garten and raised three young chicks with the help of special protection from the RSPB. Since then ospreys have returned to nest at Loch Garten every year and more than 80 young have fledged successfully.
From the Osprey Centre building you can watch these spectacular birds of prey from close quarters using binoculars, telescopes and also watch the closed circuit television screens that shows live pictures from the nest. Through the windows we could clearly observe the nest perched on the very top of a tall tree and saw the adult female osprey feeding the chicks with fish provided by the male bird. The pair mate for life and always return to the same nest every year. The male arrives first during late April after spending the winter in West Africa and rebuilds the nest in preparation for the female to follow a few days later. They mate and the three eggs are laid over a period of a few days and incubated for about 37 days. By late May the eggs hatch and the young ospreys grow rapidly on a diet of fish. By the middle of July the young begin to learn how to fly but remain around the nest for another month. They should have developed their flying and fishing skills by mid August and they all leave on their migration back to West Africa.
This nature reserve is not only important for ospreys. The rare native pinewoods are home to some of Scotlands rarest wildlife including Scottish crossbills, crested tits, otters, pinemartens and red squirrels. You can also stroll along the various forest walks and gaze across beautiful Loch Garten.
For more detailed and up to date information on the development of the osprey chicks visit the osprey diary at Loch Garten .
This has recently been featured on the very popular TV programme called Springwatch where they show live coverage of wildlife happenings in various parts of the UK. Later in the evening I was sitting out on the bench with the cats generally keeping an eye out for the monster when lo and behold I spotted an osprey gliding high above Loch Ness and I could not believe that either.