Ospreys In the Cairngorm Landscape

Ospreys can now be frequently seen in the skies of the Spey Valley and Cairngorm National Park and there are now well over 200 breeding pairs in Scotland. Ospreys travel north from Africa because the long Scotish summer days allow them to provide enough food for their very fast growing and demanding young.

Ospreys feed on fish, which they catch with spectacular dives into lochs and rivers. Breeding birds have to have a reliable source of fish if their young are going to survive the challenging Scottish weather. Increasing numbers of landowners and Estates are stocking their lochs with fish for fishing and for the local ospreys, this helps more young survive in difficult summers.

The Rothiemurchus estate has had ospreys taking fish from their fishing lochs for many years and have actively encouraged the birds. In 2012 Rothiemurchus opened a small loch exclusively for ospreys and stocks it with fish of the right size for them to catch. This is one the best locations anywhere to watch these spectacular birds diving for fish.

Many of the photographs below were taken at the Rothiemurchus fishery. Visiting the fishery not only gives the chance of seeing ospreys fishing in exhilarating close up it also helps ensure the birds continue to have a reliable source of fish for their young.

To get more info on Osprey watching at Rothiemurchus click on the link below and then click “On Land”

www.rothiemurchus-activities.co.uk/Activities.aspx