OSPREYS' UNGRATEFUL 'SNUB' FOR RSPB 60 YEARS AFTER THEIR BREEDING RETURN TO LOCH GARTEN

                                   

What could be more tranquil a setting?(photo: RSPB)

THIS summer has marked the 60th anniversary since the return of breeding ospreys to beautiful Loch Garten, serenely  set in ancient Caledonian forest.

The success owes a lot to the RSPB - in particular, its man-on-the-spot, George Waterston, who did everything possible to make the birds welcome and persecutors unwelcome.

So how have these magnificent fish-eating raptors responded in what should have been a year of celebration?

By boycotting Loch Garten - at least in a breeding capacity!

This emerged in a talk by Jess Tomes, of RSPB Abernethy, who fulfilled a 20-year-old ambition by landing the post of visitor operations manager four years ago.

                                        

Jess Tomes - her job at RSPB Abernethy is a dream come true

Although single birds have this summer made exploratory visits, disappointingly no pairs have stayed to breed.

Jess was full of praise for Waterston whose "ingenious, determined and affable" personality was instrumental in making the osprey project such a success.

In those early days, hides were makeshift cramped affairs made of hessian sack.

It was actually in 1958, not 1959, that the Loch Garten birds first built a nest and sought to breed.

But on that occasion, an egg collector scaled the tree and replaced two osprey eggs with a couple of hens' eggs marked with boot polish.

In the process of his dastardly deed, he was disturbed and  dropped the raptors' eggs but managed to flee the scene.

The eggs, both broken, revealed that the  chicks may only have been a few days away from hatching.

Thereafter, the base of three was shrouded with barbed wire, a gambit that, for the most, saw off any ne'er-do-wells.

Since then, a succession of pairs have successfully reared more than 100 chicks, while there are now thought to be up to 300 osprey pairs nesting across the UK.

                                 

A sight to behold - ospreys at nest (Photo: VisitScotland.com)

One of the most remarkable of Waterston's many initiatives was to persuade bosses that, far from keeping the Loch Garten nest top secret, it should be celebrated and publicised.

It was revolutionary thinking, and RSPB chiefs at first thought he was crazy. 

But they relented, and seven weeks after opening, no fewer than 14,000 visitors had made the trek to see this iconic species.

Not only did this boost income for the RSPB, but it set a precedent for scores of similar initiatives with other species in the years to come. Eco-tourism was well and truly launched.

Jess paid tribute to others involved in the Loch Garten project, for instance the volunteer wardens for whom long hours of unbroken vigilance could become incredibly tedious.

She also had a special for resident Bella MacDonald whose many acts of kindness made her a kind of fairy godmother to the project.

What of the tree where the ospreys first nested? It has since died and all that remains is a stump.

"But its significance is far from forgotten," ended Jess. "It remains forever a symbol of hope."

* Scroll back for more reports from Birdfair 2019