This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Osprey viewing centres open to public
24/05/2004
Visitors to the Tweed Valley Forest Park will soon be
able to watch osprey chicks live as two viewing centres in
the Borders open their doors this coming Saturday (29th
May).
Thanks to an automatic camera close to a secret eyrie,
live pictures with sound are to be beamed to centres in
Glentress Forest and Kailzie Gardens, both just outside
Peebles.
Both centres are expected to bring more tourists to the
area, giving a boost to the local Borders economy. An
increase in forest attractions in the Tweed Valley has
resulted in 364,000 visitors flocking to the forest park, a
rise of 130,000 on last year.
This year is also particularly important for the centres
because they are celebrating a number of events under the
'Ospreys' 50th' - it is 50 years since ospreys returned to
breed in Scotland. Another feather in the cap for Glentress
and Kailzie Gardens is that they've been shortlisted as one
of the top six Scottish places to go wildlife watching in
the Forestry Commission's Wildwoods website campaign.
Launching the osprey centre at Kailzie Gardens, with the
help of local children from Kingsland Primary School in
Peebles, Scottish Forestry Minister Allan Wilson said:
"Ospreys are magnificent birds and are an important
natural asset of Scotland. Not many people get a chance to
see ospreys in the wild, and the viewing centres at
Glentress and Kailzie Gardens are a superb way to bring
this species closer to people.
"Last year, the osprey centres were a huge success and
helped attract many more visitors to the Tweed Valley. The
viewing facilities are making forest wildlife more
accessible to all, and the increase in visitors eager to
see them has positive spin-offs for the local economy.
"The more we understand about the birds the more we all
want to protect them. Just recently the Nature Conservation
Bill was approved and this is a major step in conservation
efforts. The Bill will go a long way to helping protect our
rarest birds, just like the osprey."
Forest rangers, together with the RSPB and police's
wildlife officers, built and erected an artificial platform
in an old Scots Pine tree a couple of years ago. This
artificial home is successfully attracting the birds back
each year. Currently, the birds are sitting on eggs but
chicks are expected in a couple weeks time.
Ospreys mate for life and they have been known to nest
on pylons, radio masts and even cranes. Ospreys were wiped
from the Scottish skies 88 years ago by relentless human
persecution. The last nesting pair were recorded in 1916,
but in 1954 ospreys came back. The Scottish population is
now an impressive 160 breeding pairs.
The osprey viewing centres are based in Kailzie Gardens,
two miles south east of Peebles on the B7062, and in
Glentress Forest, on the A72 one mile east of Peebles. Live
viewing can be seen from 10am to 5pm each day of the week
starting Saturday 29th May.
The Forestry Commission's Wild Woods campaign is
highlighting 20 top wildlife viewing sites across Britain,
with six of these being in Scotland. To find out more about
all Scotland's creatures and the Wild Woods campaign, log
on to
www.forestry.gov.uk/wildwoods
or phone 0845 367 3787 for a free leaflet.
Ospreys' 50th is a partnership project between the
Forestry Commission Scotland, RSPB Scotland, the Scottish
Wildlife Trust, the Scottish Raptor Study Groups, Highland
Foundation for Wildlife and the Tweed Valley Osprey
Project. There are other viewing areas for people to see
these spectacular fish-eating birds of prey. They include
the RSPB Loch Garten Osprey Centre near Aviemore, the
Scottish Wildlife Trust's Loch of the Lowes Wildlife
Reserve near Dunkeld, and the other Forestry Commission
Scotland viewing centre at David Marshall Lodge near
Aberfoyle in the Trossachs.
The Tweed Valley Osprey Project is a partnership between
Forestry Commission Scotland and Kailzie Gardens and is
supported by Scottish Natural Heritage, RSPB Scotland,
Lothian and Borders Police, Scottish Borders Tourist Board,
Tweed Forum and 'Making Tracks' which is funded by
VisitScotland & EC's Leader+ Programme for the Scottish
Borders.