The first osprey egg of the season arrived at Loch Arkaig Pine Forest in Lochaber just before 11.15am on Sunday.
George Anderson, of Woodland Trust Scotland, said: “Louis and Dorcha were back much earlier than usual this year, as were many other ospreys across the UK.
“We don’t know why. It might be down to fair weather along the route from West Africa. The earliest Arkaig egg before was on April 21, so this is a week earlier than usual.
“Louis and Dorcha arrived back at Loch Arkaig on March 28 and March 30 respectively.
“Fingers crossed they will have a full clutch of three eggs by this weekend. All being well, we will have chicks hatching in late May. They will be flying by July and crossing continents by summer’s end.
“The magic of that just never gets old. We love being able to share this wild slice of woodland life with people all over the world via the internet.”
Woodland Trust Scotland has been operating a live nest camera at Loch Arkaig Pine Forest since 2017, with support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Loch Arkaig livestreams can be viewed on a dedicated page on the Woodland Trust website: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam.
Woodland Trust Scotland and Arkaig Community Forest bought the woodland site in 2016 from Forest Enterprise Scotland under the National Forest Land Scheme.
Their aim is to restore native woodland habitats, re-connect people with the management and stewardship of the site and use the woods to underpin sustainable rural development in the nearby communities of Achnacarry, Bunarkaig and Clunes.
Huge amounts of non-native timber is being removed from the forest to let the native pines repopulate the site. A unique modular barge has been transporting logs across the loch over the winter.
One of the most significant areas of remaining Caledonian pine forest, this will be the largest ancient woodland restoration undertaken by the Woodland Trust on land directly under its care.
British Commandos and Allied Special Forces including the Free French trained at Loch Arkaig during WWII.
Loch Arkaig was the location for a sequence in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when characters Harry, Hermione and Ron cling to a dragon as it flies above the forest before jumping off into the loch below.
The forest is home to wild boar, sea eagles, golden eagles, ospreys, pine martens and deer amongst many other species. Steeped in history, the area is the ancestral home of Clan Cameron. A consignment of gold sent from France to help fund the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie is said to be hidden in the forest.
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