A project to upgrade a popular osprey visitor centre will resume after grinding to a halt due to lockdown.
The visitor centre at Loch Garten will remain shut this year, but the £177,000 works will resume to ensure it is better than ever in 2021.
RSPB Scotland’s Uwe Stoneman said: “Unfortunately the impact of Covid-19 has meant that we won’t be in the position to open the visitor centre this year, which is disappointing for staff, volunteers and visitors alike.
“We are working hard behind the scenes with contractors to try and ensure the new and improved centre is up and running for spring 2021.
“We are very much looking forward to welcoming visitors and the local community back to the centre and sharing the stories of, and vision for this very special forest.”
The nature reserve, home to the stunning osprey, served as a major contributing factor in saving the species which nearly fell into extinction in the early years of the 20th century.
Funds to carry out the work were secured as part of a wider £5million funding package from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for projects across the Highlands and Islands.
A pair of ospreys arrived at Loch Garten in Abernethy in the 1950s sparking nature conservationists and bird enthusiasts to club together in a bid to best protect the species.
In 1959, three chicks were born at Loch Garten before the reserve opened up for public viewing in a bid to raise awareness and support to best protect the osprey and their survival as breeding birds in the UK.
Now, more than six decades on, visitors still flock in their thousands each to capture a glimpse of the majestic birds.
More than 2.75 million visitors have visited the reserve since its formation more than 60 years ago.
