The new facility established by Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and the Forestry Commission Scotland, with financial support from Scottish Natural Heritage.

This will allow local people and visitors to the area to watch live and recorded footage of these magnificent birds.

Close circuit TV cameras will beam pictures of the birds at the nest back to the WWT Caerlaverock Wetland Centre at Eastpark Farm.

Jonathan Warren from Scottish Natural Heritage explained: "Following the success of the Wigtown osprey viewing project we got together with WWT and Forestry Commission Scotland to look at doing something similar at Caerlaverock. Ospreys are spectacular fish-eating birds which migrate back to Scotland from Africa every spring to breed. Now members of the public can watch their every move without causing any disturbance to the birds. Increasingly Dumfries and Galloway is becoming a place to come and see wildlife so we hope that this latest wildlife watching project will also benefit the local economy."

Brian Morrell from WWT said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be able to show live pictures of these iconic wetland raptors, which are likely to remain throughout the summer, and we're glad to be a part of highlighting the importance of this species."

This pair of ospreys has settled in Dumfriesshire following a steady increase in the number of sightings of birds spending the summer in the area and catching fish on the SNH-managed Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve.

Bill Coombes from Forestry Commission Scotland said "We are very pleased to be part of a partnership project where the public can get a fascinating insight into how these magnificent birds bring up their young. The other osprey viewing centres proved very popular and a great draw for tourists and positive spin offs for local economy. This will be another exciting wildlife viewing opportunity and will help put Dumfries and Galloway on the map for wildlife tourism."

The return of breeding ospreys in south Scotland has been eagerly anticipated over the last few years. Pairs are now colonising new areas as the population expands from its stronghold in the central Highlands and Strathspey, which was first re-colonised in 1954. The breeding population in Scotland now numbers around 160 pairs.

Visitors to the WWT Caerlaverock Wetland Centre will be able to watch live images of the ospreys at the nest site from10am - 5pm daily, in the comfort of the visitor centre with friendly wardens on hand.