When all seems lost, think of Louis the Osprey

Despite illness, Louis the Osprey managed to make the long journey to West Africa and has now returned to Scotland

Louis the Osprey became an online star during the first Covid lockdown, when thousands upon thousands of people – weary of being stuck in their homes – took to watching a livestream from his nest in the beautiful setting of Loch Arkaig in Lochaber. When he fell ill last year ahead of the long annual migration to West Africa, his fans feared they were seeing him for the last time.

However, on Wednesday afternoon, first his mate Dorcha arrived at their nest and then, a few hours later, in flew Louis. George Anderson, of Woodland Trust Scotland, said: "The ospreys were just the dose of nature lots of people needed in 2020. We still get people telling us how watching the livestream helped them cope... it's so cheering to see him again.”

The natural world can be a harsh place, where only the fittest survive. But the strength and determination that must have been shown by this magnificent bird provides a lesson to us all.

So when all seems lost, think of Louis the Osprey – and take hope.