Home from Africa: first of this year’s ospreys back on the eyrie at Kincraig
All over the Highlands there are eyes scouring the trees, searching for signs of the return of the ospreys.
Well the wait is over at one ever-popular eyrie in Badenoch.
Photographer Emy McLeod has posted the first clear pictures of Kincraig’s very own ‘sea hawk’ (Pandion Haliaetus) within hours of the Highlands’ own return to British Summer Time.
Emy, who runs the popular River Spey Advice & Updates on Facebook, shared some of her pictures with the Strathy today in celebration of the new season on Loch Insh’s special Tomdhu island.
The nest has proved hugely successful over the years, with very few disappointments - and most of those pretty squarely laid at the talons of the neighbouring crows who for reasons best known to themselves choose to make life as uncomfortable as they possibly can for certain visiting osprey.
But over the decades the nest has produced who new families of the once near-extinct species in the Highlands and here’s hoping this year will see another healthy ‘harvest’.
At nearby Loch Garten, locally the star turn of tourist-related osprey studies, Jess Tomes told the Strathy the wait still goes on, just for the moment: “Nothing on the nest yet – the earliest we’ve ever had ospreys at this nest is March 21 – more likely the last week in March or first week in April so anytime now but, who knows?
“Last year the resident pair arrived back on April 6th and 7th.”
Watch this space…
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