Peebles osprey watch

Peebles is greedy, as it has not one but two Osprey Watch centres, at Glentress and one at Kailzie Gardens.

Osprey Watch centres opening times
The centres are open 10.00am - 5.00pm daily.

How to get there
Follow the signposts from Peebles town centre.

Kailzie Gardens - On the B7062, 2 miles south of Peebles

Glentress forest - On the A72, 2 miles east of Peebles

Grid reference: NT380414 

About the Tweed Valley Osprey Project

The Tweed Valley Osprey Project (TVOP) aims to protect nesting ospreys and encourage them to settle and breed in suitable locations in the area. By doing so, the partners involved hope to improve people's knowledge, understanding and appreciation of these spectacular birds.

Background to the project
Although ospreys first returned to Scotland to breed in 1954, it was over 40 years later that the first birds were seen summering in the Scottish Borders. Even then, it took a helping hand from Forestry Commission Scotland rangers, together with the local Police Wildlife Liaison Officer and the RSPB to encourage our first pair settle and breed here.

In the late 1990s, a number of artificial nest platforms were erected in safe locations within the Tweed Valley Forest Park in the hope ospreys returning on migration would find the area an attractive place to breed. Osprey conservation has always been a secretive business, yet the TVOP wanted to allow people to share in their success story without compromising the safety of the birds from egg collectors.
The solution was to place a camera at the nest and provide live footage of the birds as they raised their family.

The Osprey Watch Centres

Cameras were set up on an artificial nesting platform, and the first images of the nest were beamed back in April 2004.Due to the remoteness of the nest site, the latest in microwave technology is used to beam the images back to the centres, using a combination of solar and wind power. Pan, tilt-and-zoom cameras and live sound add to the visitor's experience.