It has been a fantastic week of weather up here in Strathspey, very, very Spring-like, warm, almost hot sunshine, clear blue skies and very still. When we get conditions like this at this time of year you feel that you could expect a returning osprey at any moment.
With that in mind, if feels like a race against time to get everything done ahead of their pending arrival. So this week we have been busy installing cameras and getting the Osprey Centre up and running, in readiness for opening on 1st April. It's been wonderful to be out there doing all this in such fantastic weather. Last year during "set-up week" we did it all in a blizzard.
No ospreys yet though, despite the brilliant weather, just rumours so far. The fish farm near Aviemore is where they usually show up first, no doubt in search of an easy meal after their long migration. The live-streaming camera will switch from the squirrel feeders to the osprey nest sometime next week, in anticipation of osprey arrivals. This year's staff team have got a sweepstake underway, my money is on the morning of 29th. We shall see.
Though we can expect ospreys back any day from now, the Osprey Centre does not open until 1st April. Please be patient. I know many of you will be planning on coming up to visit, but please resist the temptation to just pop in ahead of time. Because we cannot ever be sure which ospreys we might get, we have to be careful and cautious at arrival time.
Ok, if it is EJ or VS, then we can expect them to be familiar with the site, the building, the comings & goings of staff and volunteers as we get things ready for opening, but even then, how much do they recall from previous seasons? It might take them a few days to re-acquaint and accept what they see & hear. More importantly, if we were to get new birds, which is always quite possible, then they will not be familiar with the site etc and will, as a result, be more skittish and flighty.
This is why we ask you to be patient and wait until we are ready to receive visitors. An over zealous attempt to wander up to the Centre and sneak an early peep, to see if the ospreys are there, could easily spook them, and cause them to fly off. Your patience and forbearance is therefore appreciated. Thank you.
The Osprey Season blog 2009 will begin in earnest very soon, to be written by the new team. Perhaps I should introduce them. Claire from last year is back again and heads up the team, ably assited by Debbie & Maloclm, who have both worked at Caper-watch before. Ian was one of our stalwart volunteers last season, so it is good to have on the team this year, and David joins us afresh. Alice and I will be involved too. The first week or two can be the busiest and most fraught, so again bear with us please, when awaiting news.
Whilst we haven't any ospreys yet, the first sumer visitors have been seen. As predicted in a recent, previous blog, wheatears were first, seen yesterday. If this weather holds for the next few days, we can expect sand martins over Loch Garten this weekend, I reckon.
As for Nethy, I am afraid we have a problem currently with the satellite data download programme so we are unable to check on her whereabouts, sorry. We hope to be sorted by Monday. And this lack of an up-date is, I assure you nothing to do with Alice champing at the bit, as she heads off on two weeks leave this afternoon.
If ever there was a weekend to get out and about, if you can, where ever you are, to enjoy the arrival of Spring, then this is surely it, with trees coming in to leaf, birds in song, flowers shooting - it's all happening. If the weather is good in the south, migrant birds will surely be pouring in. Go and enjoy it and see what you can see.