Bloggers wing their way to strath
A GROUP of fans of Loch Garten’s resident ospreys and their chicks have winged their way to the attraction from across the UK and even further afield.
Staff at the RSPB centre by Boat of Garten welcomed members of the self-formed Loch Garten Bloggers, a group of osprey enthusiasts who are active on Facebook following the antics of resident love birds EJ and Odin.
The entire group numbers over 400 members, from as far afield as Australia, Sweden, the United States and Canada.
A total of 33 bloggers met up at the centre from various parts of the UK including Devon, Cornwall, Yorkshire and Wales and further afield from Connecticut in the US and Vancouver Island in Canada.
Mr Richard Thaxton, RSPB Scotland’s site manager at Loch Garten said. "They are simply an amazing group of people, with so much zeal and passion for ospreys.
"It was great that for some, their on-line contact has enabled them to meet up and forge new friendships, based around ospreys."
He continued: "It was wonderful for the staff at the osprey centre, to meet in person, some of their huge virtual-audience of the osprey webcam and accompanying blog, who follow every detail of the osprey’s season at Loch Garten.
"They took the place by storm on Wednesday and were quite a lively presence.
"It shows too, the value of our web-based osprey facilities, when it precipitates actual visits to the strath by some of this virtual audience, including groups such as the LG Bloggers, and many others besides".
One of the local members of the group is Julie Quirie, who lives in Grantown, and said: "This is the group’s second visit to the area and by the response of all the bloggers it is definitely going to become an annual event.
She said: "Members of the group stayed in local B&Bs and self-catering accommodation in the area during their time here.
"The group also had a day visiting Chanonry Point and went for a dolphin trip from Cromarty where they were lucky to see several dolphins and porpoise."
She added that members of the LG Bloggers were already looking forward to their next visit to the area in 2012.
