Ex-Nethy Bridge man honoured for his work to help birds of prey
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A former Nethy Bridge resident Roy Dennis has been awarded an OBE for his lifetime spearheading conservation in Scotland and abroad but has said: "there's still lots to do."
Mr Dennis (83), speaking earlier this week, said he was "really honoured" to receive the honour for more than 60 years of service.
And his passion is as strong as ever.
"I'm 83 at the moment, coming towards 84. But I keep going," said Mr Dennis, who now lives in Forres. "I've been out birding locally all morning.
"As I've always said, it's not work – it's a life. Especially when I was younger, we just worked on these projects for double the time of normal work.
"You have to have that enthusiasm because a lot of it has to be done at odd times of the day and night."
Starting his north of Scotland conservation efforts in 1959, Mr Dennis has led projects to reintroduce the white-tailed eagle, red kite, osprey and golden eagle.
He is best know in the strath for his work with ospreys at Loch Garten on the RSPB's Abernethy reserve.
He said promoting the species was the project closest to his heart.
Populations in Rutland Water, Dorset, Switzerland, Andalusia, the Basque Country, Andalusia and Valencia owe their existence to birds from the Highlands and Moray.
And some of the first satellite tagging technology saw Mr Dennis follow the birds to West Africa.
He said: "I've followed that population for many, many years, from the second or the third pair of ospreys which nested way back in the mid-60s. We knew every nest, we knew every individual.
"A lot of work on ospreys has been done around here with different landowners, in a very confidential way, so we weren't saying where the nests were."
Working in the RSPB for more than 30 years, he won the charity's Golden Eagle Award in 2004 for being the top Scottish conservationist of the last 100 years.
And together with a long association with the Fair Isle Bird Observatory, he also set up the Highland Foundation for Wildlife in 1995.
In 2017, the foundation changed its name to the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation 'to reflect Roy’s inspirational contribution to nature conservation and the international scope of our work'.
The organisation has been closely involved in the successful reintroduction of the two-and-a-half metre wingspan white-tailed eagle to the Isle of Wight. And, as a result, this year saw the first eagle chick born in the south of England for at least 240 years.
"I'm just absolutely chuffed at that," he said. "And what I really like, is that the people down there just think it's fantastic.
"This huge bird can fly over Portsmouth or Southampton or the outskirts of London – and I think the things we do are really appreciated by people."
He said the honour meant more to him because it showed that attitudes toward nature are changing.
"I'm really, really pleased," he said. "And really honoured that it's to do with our wildlife foundation and our projects – and that these things are being more valued by society.
"It's only now that there is real worry about climate and nature, especially by the young. That pleases me. Because, you know, I've been doing this for a very long time.
"And we're looking forward to receiving it. Whether it's London or whether it's Edinburgh – that'll be a happy day."
Awarded an MBE in 1992, Mr Dennis said news of his OBE came 'out of the blue', with a letter from the Cabinet Office and a note from Lord Lieutenant of Moray Major General Seymour Monro.
Mr Dennis, who is also a writer and lecturer, has presented on the BBC's Autumnwatch and Springwatch.
Another of the conservationist's passions is the reintroduction of beavers and lynx to Scotland, which he continues to push for.
"I've always been a great believer in conservation, but there's still lots to do," he said. "I'd love to see the lynx back in Scotland, and I'd love to think that, one day, golden eagles will one day breed down where I live just behind Forres – where they ought to."
The 83-year-old also praised the team within his namesake foundation, of which he is now honorary president.
"I'm very fortunate now that I have an excellent group of people who work with me in the foundation," he said. "Without those sort of people, who are really good at climbing trees, know how to ring birds of prey – have those vital skills – these projects are more difficult.
"We've got a lot of people who have been doing this for a long time. But there's still lots to do, and that's why I also love working with the young people who work with me."
Scottish Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands, Ariane Burgess, has lodged a motion at the Scottish Parliament celebrating Roy Dennis’s lifetime work on osprey conservation.
She said, “It’s heartening to see Roy’s work being recognised in this way. The motion I lodged before the festive break quickly gathered cross-party support and recognises the huge impact the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation has had in safeguarding our wildlife, especially birds of prey like ospreys, for future generations.
“All the awards given to Roy emphasise how essential nature recovery is to the planet and also how important this work is becoming to society. "Our environment owes a great deal to the years of dedicated work put in by people like Roy Dennis and he thoroughly deserves this recognition.”
