Odin? No, Od-out!

Good morning all from me (Chris) and the team.

Today started like any other - the team arrived at the centre at 9:30 sharp (Nimrod's away at the moment) to prepare ourselves for another day of meeting and entertaining visitors. As we skipped gleefully up the path, anticipating a fun filled day, Fergus was even singing a little self-penned ditty about the joys of wildflowers. We unlocked the doors to the centre and began, as we always do, to open up the viewing hatches looking out onto the nest. As I opened one I noticed a large piece of bark that had been wedged into the closed shutter, fall to the ground. Curiously, I picked it up and turned it over. The reverse was covered in scrawled, untidy writing which looked (and smelled) like it had been done using ink derived somehow from fish (I don't know how this is possible, so don't ask, just go with it). As I read the fish ink-on-bark letter, I couldn't believe my eyes...

Dear Osprey Team,

Just a quick note to say that I have left for my Winter holiday. I had planned to go with EJ but she must have misunderstood our travel plans as she left over a week ago without telling me. It's strange that this is the 8th year in a row that she's left alone...I definitely told her exactly when I would be leaving. Oh well, I'm sure it was just an innocent mistake. The boys both got off fine - Rowan left pretty soon after EJ, as you know, but little Willow took a bit longer to build up the courage. He finally left just the other day though and I couldn't be prouder of him (I call him Daddy's Little Soldier which he hates, especially as the Chaffinches tease him about it. They can be so cruel). Anyway, just to say we'll be gone until next Spring, keep an eye on our nest will you? EJ will try and get back by the end of March as usual but I'll be later as I tend to do most of the duty free shopping. Hope you all have a great Winter (good luck trying to catch fish in the frozen Scottish lochs) and thanks to all the volunteers and forum members who kept watch over us, our eggs and our little guys over the course of the season. See you all in 2017!

Warm regards,

Odin.

P.S. As always, please forward any fan mail onto me at the usual address.

So, there we go, it's official. The birds have all left us on migration and are on their way to a warmer winter. We were all very touched by Odin leaving us a note, and were amazed by the quality of his handwriting - that reversible toe of his really is amazing! The spelling and grammar were also excellent, something Ospreys are not necessarily known for. Honestly, look in any bird book and there'll be no mention of it on the Osprey page. 

Our nest is now empty with no signs of life, or should I say, almost no signs of life. Many of our eagle-eyed forum members spotted a mischievous Pine Marten on the nest late yesterday evening, making the most of the lack of Osprey activity. Pine Martens have made dens inside the nest in previous years so this could have been an early reconnaissance mission, or it could just have been a fame hungry individual who was sick of the Ospreys getting all the attention! Probably the former if I'm honest.

                   My time to shine...Pine Marten on the Loch Garten Osprey nest!

The centre here is open until the 4th of September and, if you're in the area, it's still worth a visit. There are plenty of Red Squirrels, Woodpeckers and Bank Voles to spot, alongside the regular forest birds on our feeders. The team are still here and would love to chat to you about pretty much anything (we don't get out much) and we've also got plenty of footage to show you, detailing the events of this, and many previous seasons. Of course, the departure of our Ospreys is a major loss to us but don't feel that there is nothing else to see or do if you visit...come and see for yourself!