![LochGarten](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/LochGarten.jpg)
Loch Garten ( gd, Loch a' Ghartain) is a large
Highland
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
loch
''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots language, Scots and Irish language, Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is Cognate, cognate with the Manx language, Manx lough, Cornish language, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh language, Welsh w ...
near
Boat of Garten
Boat of Garten ( gd, Coit a' Ghartain; originally: Garten) is a small village and post town in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland. In 1951, the population was less than 400; in 1971, it was almost 500; in 1981, it was almost 700, and the ...
, in the
Strathspey Strathspey may refer to one of the following:
* Strathspey, Scotland, an area in the Highlands of Scotland
* Strathspey Camanachd
Strathspey Camanachd is a shinty club based in Grantown-on-Spey, Strathspey, Scotland, currently competing in the ...
area of the
Cairngorms National Park
Cairngorms National Park ( gd, Pàirc Nàiseanta a' Mhonaidh Ruaidh) is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Tro ...
, in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. It is surrounded by the tall
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
trees of the
Abernethy Forest
Abernethy Forest is a remnant of the Caledonian Forest in Strathspey, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It lies within the Cairngorms National Park, close to the villages of Nethy Bridge, Boat of Garten, and Aviemore. The forest is a ...
, a large area (adjacent to the loch) of which is an
RSPB
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...
nature reserve. The loch is renowned for its breeding population of
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
s, which lend Boat of Garten its nickname "The Osprey Village".
Careless behaviour towards the osprey in Britain throughout the 19th century meant that it became extinct as a breeding bird by the early 20th. However, in 1954 two
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n breeding birds came to Garten completely of their own accord and set up a nest in the forest by the loch. Slowly the species recolonised
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
(for more information see
ospreys in Britain
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus'') is a medium large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution. The subspecies ''Pandion haliaetus haliaetus'' is native to Eurasia and is found in the British Isles, where it is a scarce ...
), and the RSPB and other organisations helped them along the way (not an easy task due to the illegal activities of
egg collectors
An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...
and other irresponsible people). The reserve was purchased by the charity and since then the nest has always been closely monitored. Recently a
viewing hide was built relatively near to the nest so that visitors may come and see these birds of prey easily. The hide has
telescope
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe ...
s and other optical devices inside, as well as television screens showing close-up views of the fledglings and their parents. Live video and still pictures of the nest can be viewed on the RSPB Loch Garten Reserve web-site.
Ospreys are not the only creatures to be found at Loch Garten.
Western capercaillie
The western capercaillie (''Tetrao urogallus''), also known as the Eurasian capercaillie, wood grouse, heather cock, cock-of-the-woods, or simply capercaillie , is a heavy member of the grouse family and the largest of all extant grouse species. ...
s, though difficult to see, do inhabit the remoter parts of the reserve and can be seen performing their annual
lek
Lek or LEK may refer to:
* Lek mating, mating in a lek, a type of animal territory in which males of a species gather
* Albanian lek, the currency of Albania
* Lek (magazine), a Norwegian softcore pornographic magazine
* Lek (pharmaceutical comp ...
via the
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season)
Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
"Caperwatch".
Red squirrel
The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent.
In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...
s can be seen very easily around the hide, especially on the feeders put out for them. Smaller birds such as the
Eurasian siskin
The Eurasian siskin (''Spinus spinus'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European siskin, common siskin or just siskin. Other (archaic) names include ''black-headed goldfinch'', ''barley bird'' a ...
,
common chaffinch
The common chaffinch or simply the chaffinch (''Fringilla coelebs'') is a common and widespread small passerine bird in the finch family. The male is brightly coloured with a blue-grey cap and rust-red underparts. The female is more subdued in ...
(in very large numbers) and
great spotted woodpecker are also present and easy to spot on the feeders. The
crested tit
The crested tit or European crested tit (''Lophophanes cristatus'') (formerly ''Parus cristatus''), is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in coniferous forests throughout central and north ...
and
Scottish crossbill
The Scottish crossbill (''Loxia scotica'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, and is the only terrestrial vertebrate species endemic to the United Kingdom. The Scottish ...
are more reserved in their behaviour and more difficult to find.
Eurasian wigeon
The Eurasian wigeon or European wigeon (''Mareca penelope''), also known as the widgeon or the wigeon, is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus ''Mareca''. It is common and widespread within its Palearctic range.
Taxonomy
Th ...
live by and swim on the loch.
Loch Garten Osprey Centre
![RSPB Osprey Centre - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/RSPB_Osprey_Centre_-_geograph.org.uk_-_11325.jpg)
The Loch Garten Osprey Centre is a bird-watching facility on Loch Garten that focuses on the nest of two
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
s. It is an
RSPB
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...
facility located in the Abernethy Forest. The Abernethy Forest RSPB reserve protects a habitat of
Caledonian pine forest and in turn forms part of the wider Abernethy
National Nature Reserve.
The birds return to the nesting site every year and the numerous
binoculars
Binoculars or field glasses are two refracting telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. Most binoculars are sized to be held ...
and
telescope
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe ...
s within the centre allow for effective bird watching. Visitors can also see
red squirrel
The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent.
In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...
s and other small birds feeding in front of the bird hide. A pair of ospreys nested at the site every year from 1959 to 2019. Since then there has been no resident pair. Osprey chciks have fledged here almost every year since ospreys started nesting in 1954 however no chick's have fledged from the site between 2016 and 2021. The tree which houses the nest died due to the droppings and remains of prey from the nesting birds. To protect the site, the remaining tree trunk is supported by a strut and helps form a sturdy platform for the nest. The tree was deemed dangerous and in the winter of 2021 the nest (which was largely artificial) was relocated to a completely healthy Scots pine a few metres away. The tree canopy surrounding the nest was also lowered at the same time in an effort to make the nest site more appealing to ospreys In 2022 a new pair of ospreys took over the new nest site and raised two young.
The surrounding forest includes walking different paths passing by a large loch which is also known as Loch Mallachie. Some of the trails link up with the
Speyside way
The Speyside Way (Doric: '; gd, Slighe Shrath Spe) is a long-distance path in the Scottish Highlands. The route begins in Buckie and ends at Newtonmore, away. There is an optional spur leading off the main route to Tomintoul, adding and of as ...
.
See also
*
Abernethy Forest
Abernethy Forest is a remnant of the Caledonian Forest in Strathspey, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It lies within the Cairngorms National Park, close to the villages of Nethy Bridge, Boat of Garten, and Aviemore. The forest is a ...
*
Ospreys in Britain
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus'') is a medium large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution. The subspecies ''Pandion haliaetus haliaetus'' is native to Eurasia and is found in the British Isles, where it is a scarce ...
References
External links
The RSPB: Loch Garten
{{RSPB sites in Scotland
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves in Scotland
Badenoch and Strathspey
Birdwatching sites in Scotland
Protected areas of Highland (council area)
Garten
Garten is a populated island in the municipality of Ørland in Trøndelag county, Norway. The island is located on the north side of the mouth of the Trondheimsfjorden, just southwest of the mainland. The island lies about southeast of the is ...
Nature centres in Scotland
Garten
Garten is a populated island in the municipality of Ørland in Trøndelag county, Norway. The island is located on the north side of the mouth of the Trondheimsfjorden, just southwest of the mainland. The island lies about southeast of the is ...