In March an osprey returns to its nest with her lifelong mate in a pine tree near a lake in Scotland. Wildlife rangers set up a webcam and the events that follow are made available online. The osprey lays three eggs and some weeks later two hatchlings are seen in the nest.

The parents are intent on feeding the young birds and hunt for fish from the nearby lake. They keep sentinel to protect them from other birds and work tirelessly to keep them safe and warm.

The young ospreys grow bigger and stronger and the fledglings are seen taking their first hesitant moves, exercising their wings in anticipation of a long journey. The parents continue on their vigil watching over their brood.

The nest was never disturbed and the birds must have not even known the presence of the hidden cameras in the nearby trees. To us who watched them regularly, they were a joy to watch, such beautiful raptors that tend to their young with such dedication.

Towards mid-August they start to migrate, the mother leaving first, and the father continues to feed them until they start to hunt fish for themselves. They leave the nest on a 4,000 mile journey to West Africa, a migration that is one of nature’s enigmas. Their journey takes them through the dangers of bad weather, sandstorms, power lines, indiscriminate shooting and last but not least sheer exhaustion and starvation.

Having watched them over the months we are lost in admiration for all the birds that make this amazing yearly journey. We are however equally appalled when such magnificent birds are brutally shot when they fly over our islands.