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It is almost a month since our male osprey, Henry, spread his wings and started his migration south for the winter.... It is also time for the Osprey Team to up roots and return to their respective homes too.  Despite the obvious disappointments of the eggs being kicked out of the nest and the subsequent clutch failing the team kept their spirits high and kept the visitors entertained right up until 6pm on the last day. How could we do this after such a tumultuous season? We did it because of the support we had from YOU, our blog readers, our visitors and those people who sent messages of support throughout the season... to all of those I would like to send out a massive message of gratitude from the whole of the Osprey Team.

There was another disappointment for the team, just failing to hit our membership figure for the year; despite the miserable summer weather, the lack of chicks and the abundance of the dreaded midge we came within touching distance of our target. You could help us reach this goal by joining the RSPB online, today. If you are already a member then maybe consider joining up a loved one for Xmas, it will not only be a superb present but will also help towards our conservation projects for next year.

The Osprey Centre will open at 10am on 1st April 2008.... we look forward to your visit and hopefully to the early arrival of BOTH EJ and Henry.

If you want to specifically help the Loch Garten Osprey Team 2007, you might consider supporting the RSPB. You can do this online via the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/join, if you add the code PR08, your membership will be credited to the Loch Garten team.

After days of wondering has he or hasn't he? I think we can now safely say that Henry has left for his wintering grounds.

Last year Henry left on the first of September, and we haven't seen any ospreys sitting on or near the nest for just over a week now, so that's a give away that Henry has started the long journey back to the West Coast of Africa along with many other Scottish ospreys.

It's very difficult to say a final farewell to a bird that you're not fully sure has left, and I don't think it has sunk in for any of us here at the Osprey Centre that we may have seen the last of Henry for another seven months. It's been a phenomenal season for him and EJ this year, and perhaps if we don't say goodbye to Henry, he'll rush back that little bit quicker next Spring ready for when other sneaky males come in on his territory to try and get a look-in with his female. Then they won't be so cocky!

So we shall leave it there for Henry shall we? We'll have our fingers and toes crossed for our osprey couple to return to Loch Garten next year, for their sixth year running, hopefully at the age of ten Henry will be a dab hand at migrating back, but with Henry, you never know...

As for us, the centre doors closed for the last time on Sunday evening and we made our way slowly down the path to the reception gate where the red squirrels were waiting there to give us a familiar 'chuck chuck' goodbye. We still have another two weeks of packing everything away, so it's not quite the end of the season yet, which means there's still room for at least one more blog entry, so for now I shall save all the teary-eyed thank yous and good byes, and instead urge you all to enjoy the bright September sunshine over the next few days! Oooh, and watch out for those migrating birds moving south as well. You never know who might fly over your house in the next few days.    

If you want to specifically help the Loch Garten Osprey Team 2007, you might consider supporting the RSPB. You can do this online via the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/join, if you add the code PR08, your membership will be credited to the Loch Garten team.