First osprey chick of the season hatches at Loch Arkaig Pine Forest

Woodland Trust Scotland has been operating live nest cameras at Loch Arkaig Pine Forest since 2017, with support from Postcode Lottery players.

Osprey Dad Louis returned from migration on April 17 – much later than his April 2 appearance in 2025. He is estimated to be 12-15 years old.

The Loch Arkaig livestreams can be viewed at a dedicated page on the Woodland Trust website.

George Anderson said: "Viewers still tell us how grateful they were for the nest cameras during the Covid lockdowns, when Louis was with his first partner Aila.

"There is no doubt that watching the ospreys online helped many people’s mental wellbeing, and it continues to do so."

The online audience soared from 60,000 to 400,000 during lockdown. Today it runs at around 100,000. These figures are for viewers not individual views.

The Arkaig ospreys are wild ambassadors for the forest restoration being carried out by Woodland Trust Scotland in partnership with Arkaig Community Forest.

The aim is to restore native woodland habitats; re-connect local people with the management and stewardship of the site; and use the woods to underpin sustainable rural development in nearby communities.

Postcode Lottery players are lead funders of the forest’s restoration. Huge amounts of non-native timber has been removed to let the native pines repopulate the site with their offspring. A unique modular barge has been transporting logs across the loch in recent winters.

One of the most significant areas of remaining Caledonian pine forest, this is 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. 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.