Good afternoon everybody.

It’s a pleasure to be able to write this blog, safe in the knowledge that a rather special bird, with a white leg ring adorned with two simple, black letters has returned to Loch Garten. Yes, that’s right, EJ is here! Last Wednesday, at approximately 17:46 and 23 seconds, our vigilant webcam viewers were treated to her sudden appearance on screen. It’s the joint earliest she’s ever returned and it took us slightly by surprise. The first I knew of it was a Facebook message that simply read “YES”, followed by a couple of love hearts. Very cryptic and not the sort of message I am used to receiving and yet, the first thing I did was check the forum. It scares me slightly that I understood that message…



EJ back in her summer home

This year represents EJ’s 16th at Loch Garten and is her 15th breeding season (her first in 2003 involved no breeding attempt). She is 21 years old this year and is such an amazing animal – 25 chicks successfully fledged from this nest, three different partners over the years (Henry, Orange VS and, of course, Odin) and all in between an annual migratory round trip of about 6000 miles! Not bad.

Now she has even more hard work to do. After his disappearance last year, it seems very likely that regular mate Odin won’t be back again this year and so EJ must find a new suitor. Hopefully, going on the amount of seemingly keen young males we saw last year, she’ll have her pick but choosing and bonding with the right guy takes time. If there are too many vying for her affections it might eat into the precious breeding season. EJ is a canny bird, though, and with her years of experience (she’s seen it all) and the fact that she’s back so early, there should be plenty of time. I’m sure all of you are as excited as I am to discover what the season holds and can’t wait to follow the twists and turns of the Loch Garten soap opera. As ever, it will be a pleasure to share the experience with all of you – whether that be when you visit the centre over the next few months or if you follow the story online via the webcam. I hope everyone has a lovely osprey season!


Loch Garten by Richard Elliott

If you are able to visit the Osprey Centre this year, you’ll be lucky enough to meet one of our brilliant team. Mostly new faces (with one fairly ugly face returning), this year’s team are an amazing group, filled with passion and enthusiasm and ready to brighten your day with a warm smile and a friendly chat. But why am I still rabbiting on? I should just let them introduce themselves, shouldn’t I? Well, here they are…

First up, someone you may remember from last year…

“Hello bloggers,

It’s me Blair, back from the bright lights of Englandshire. I hope you guys are all keeping well and warm after the terrible weather we’ve had recently. But more importantly I hope everyone is gearing up for the season now that EJ has arrived. I’ve been back in Scotland for just over two weeks now. It’s so refreshing to be back amongst the pine trees and Munros that surround my chalet. I’ve been away for the last six months, working and volunteering in Cheshire, Derbyshire and Norfolk. After last season finished, I moved down to Macclesfield, to start a job with the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust as a membership recruiter. Although I loved living in Macclesfield, and Derbyshire was a beautiful place to work, I struggled to settle into my new job, and started to miss the days of working in a visitor centre, encouraging children and adults to discover new and exciting things. So just before Christmas I left Macclesfield and the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and moved to Titchwell, Norfolk, to start Volunteering with the RSPB at Titchwell Marsh. For those of you reading this, who haven’t been to Titchwell Marsh, I highly recommend visiting it. Titchwell is a wonderful reserve filled with stunning wildlife. I clearly remember my first day walking down the west bank towards the sea with the sun shining on my back. I was scanning the reed bed looking for some bearded tits and out of nowhere three marsh harriers came into my view. Not long afterwards a water pipit flashed in front of us and a bittern was showing well on the edge of one of the marshes. But sadly I had to leave Titchwell. As much as I loved living in Norfolk, my bank account did not! With RSPB Loch Garten re-recruiting for visitor experience officers and having loved working here last season, it made sense for me to come back to the highlands.

So yeah, sorry guys – you’re stuck with me for another six months.

I look forward to hearing from you over the course of the season.”

Nice one Blair. Joining our returnee as Visitor Experience Officers are two new faces. Here’s Steven

“I have been volunteering at RSPB Leighton Moss for 12 months where I watched the reserve come alive to the sound of blackcaps, garden warblers and willow warblers in the woodland and sedge warblers, reed warblers and cetti’s warblers in the reedbed. During the summer, the greenness of fresh reed lasts only a few months but the moths I discovered living here during the reserves daily moth trap checks offered new amazing discoveries every season. Whilst the Caledonian forest may not be known for its variety of arriving migrants like those associated with broadleaf woodlands, I am excited by the prospects of a good seasons casual ‘mothing’ in such an amazing place as Abernethy. Though the forest is certainly not without its migrants. I hope to hear the sound of a cuckoo and, of course, enjoy the arrival of our most famous migrant, the osprey.

Originally from Bristol I have volunteered with Trees For Life during the Spring and again in the Autumn of 2016. I briefly spent some time living on Easdale Island, which is 11 miles from Oban, and travelled for two weeks as part of an expedition to the Isle of Mull and the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. I hope to explore more of Scotland, particularly the island of Orkney and Eigg, and I will be back at Trees For Life this spring but right now the weather is great and the anticipation is high. What will the season bring? Will the goldeneye be successful this year? What about the chance of redstarts? And when will I see a capercaillie?”

Here's Emma

“Hi, my name is Emma and I grew up in the Stirlingshire countryside. I spent five years studying at Aberdeen University, where I also volunteered for the RSPB Dolphinwatch team in 2016. I then went on to intern at the Scottish Dolphin Centre at Spey Bay last year. It was a fantastic place to watch ospreys catching fish at both the mouth of the Spey and sometimes in the sea. I was also lucky enough to be able to witness this from my living room window on many occasions! I’m really looking forward to exploring the Abernethy reserve and meeting lots of enthusiastic visitors to the Osprey Centre this summer!”

 The team is completed by our two Visitor Experience Interns, Raquel and Jo

"I am from Catalonia, a northern region of Spain, and I have come to this beautiful region of Scotland to live an amazing experience while learning so many things about ospreys and other species. I studied Environmental Biology in Barcelona, and after that I went travelling. I have been living in Ireland for the last year, in a town named Killarney, surrounded by mountains and a stunning National Park. There is where I decided that I wanted to put in practice all the knowledge I acquired at college, and the opportunity to volunteer at the RSPB came up! I am so glad to be here and I am sure this is going to be a great season. Loch Garten and its surroundings are a great place to observe wildlife; since I arrived I have already seen badgers, red squirrels, deer and so many species of birds. It is also a good area for hiking; I will enjoy walking along the tracks and discovering amazing spots!" 
 

“Born in Cambridge, I’m a girl from the Fens. I’ve come to the Highlands in search of forest, mountains and moorland; a total contrast to the landscape I know. I’m eager to see wildlife I’ve never set eyes on before such as golden eagles and pine martens. To me the capercaillie seems as mythical a beastie as the Loch Ness Monster, but with the help of Abernethy’s wardens and ecologists it may become real! I’ll be on Team Osprey this year as a residential intern, a great opportunity to get to know the magnificent Cairngorms while welcoming visitors to one of the RSPBs most inspiring conservation projects. I’m looking forward to seeing the Loch Garten osprey family, as I missed a rare visitor to the Cambridge area a couple of years back when an osprey dropped by en route up north. Not sure if it was EJ or Odin, but I’m hoping to get to know EJ now that she’s returned. Jo”.

So that's the team. There will be a suitably embarrassing team photo to follow! Don't forget, the Osprey Centre opens this Thursday 29th March at 10am. Come and say hello to EJ and meet the team. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday we have three days of Easter activities to enjoy, including an Easter Nature hunt which is particularly difficult this year...do you accept the challenge?


Will the Easter Bunny be spotted at Loch Garten this weekend? Image by Ben Hall.

 

See you soon everyone.