Hello bloggersphere,

 I thought I should give you a wee update now that we have a clearer idea about how our season is going to look. Following quite a pessimistic year we now have the optimism of summer to look forward to. Our team for the season are in place and will be starting a little later than usual due to the aggressive flock of flamingos that have barricaded the entrance of the centre for the past 12 months. Did that convince anyone? It just feels so old hat to talk about COVID, but there we are.

We are hoping to open on the 1st of May instead of April and by the time we open our doors, we should know if we will have nesting ospreys. Peter (our cameraman man) from Carnyx has been working hard over the last three days to get the cameras and wiring back up and running, allowing us to stream multiple cameras to you lovely folks at home. I know we have all been missing the cameras and I am so excited that this is going to be available again soon.

I have also been busy covering our lovely new floors in fluorescent yellow tape to make sure that everyone feels safe when they are visiting the centre. Our team are going through stringent training to make sure they are no longer hugging members of the public. I know some of you will be missing that from the experience, but it is non-negotiable.  

Ewan who is coming back as a Visitor Experience Officer has also been hard at work installing donations posts in our car parks. Hopefully, this will allow people camping in the area to donate too. These will see a lot of action this year with many people choosing to holiday in the UK and pay for the great conservation work going on at Abernethy.

I am looking forward to meeting those of you who can make it to the centre this year. I think we will have a lot to catch up on! We will keep our spirits highs and our eyes peeled for the return of ospreys this season and endeavour to keep you updated with nest antics and when the cameras are once again up and running.