Hello bloggersphere,

  I hope you are all doing well considering the circumstances. Thought I would do my best to update you on the most current goings on at the centre. We have got most of the way through the refurbishment before the work had to stop for obvious reasons. The centre has a new lease of life with the new windows installed and the walls removed it is almost unrecognisable. For those of you who have visited you won’t believe your eyes!  I have attached a couple shots to give you an idea of what it will look like. We are still waiting to have the interior completely fitted out. 

Now we will wait excitedly until the work can recommence and we will be able to showcase our amazing new centre. The sad fact that I think we are all coming to terms with is that the webcam is not going to be in place for the start of the season. This is a real shame as now is the perfect time to stay indoors and watch the nest 24 hours a day! Luckily there are other osprey centres that have their cameras rolling and birds returning so we can still share in the excitement of that. There have still be no signs up to this point of ospreys showing interest in the nest and are ability to check their progress has been significantly curtailed by recent events. We will have to live in hope that nature finds a way without us watching. It would be the best surprise if we return to find a female sitting on eggs don't you think? 

Throughout all of this we have been preparing a new Nature Team to enhance your visitor experience at the centre. They have all been put on stand-by in the current situation but will still be posting blogs for you all and trying to update you as much as possible. I will let them all introduce themselves on here and hopefully you will grow as fond of them as I have! 

Here is also the link to our first informal podcast for the centre too! 

https://lochgarten.podbean.com/e/loch-garten-osprey-podcast-episode-1/

  • Oh, thanks so much Fergus. The centre looks just great! Super BLog. Can't be helped about the cam, sigh, it's just  what it is.

  • Oh my the place is looking so different, open and bright. Hopefully a couple of lovely osprey will be awaiting us when we are able to log on again!!! Looking to forward to visiting again when all this horrid time is over, mind you that will probably be next year now, as the centre will be closed for the season, once the refurb is finished!

  • Oh dear, I'm just christening a new laptop here and the "Enter to Comment" was ticked by default, lol.  It's not now !!!

    I'm looking forward to hearing more from you and your 'colleagues'.  All the best to everyone.

  • Hello Fergus and thanks so much for the blog.  What a disappointment for all of you and all of us that the season won't open as planned, we'd been looking forward to it since last season!  How innocent we all were, I am sure that our current situation never entered anyone's head.

  • Wow - can't believe the transformation the windows have made to the VC. LG is a long way from London but I did manage a whole day there when friends took me to Scotland (they, being non-birders, just left me there for the day!). Such a disappointment for you all when opening did not look far off. Sad not to have the nest webcam but everything crossed that some passing Ospreys will realise what a fabulous place LG and take up residence for a new era.