The nearby hide will remain open throughout the summer and a new visitor centre will open at the reserve on 25 April.

BBC: Osprey moves into man-made nest

Historic Scotland is blaming the wet summer for a drop in visitor numbers at some of its key attractions.

BBC: Rain blamed for visitor drop at Edinburgh Castle

The wettest summer in a century caused visitor numbers to plummet at many of the UK's top tourist attractions, new figures show.

BBC: Entrance gates at Kew Gardens

Parks are hiring fewer seasonal employees this summer and cutting the hours at visitor centers.

WSJ: Look Out for Cutbacks at National Parks

"For London attractions, the Olympic period was one of their worst trading periods in living memory and for visitor attractions, the summer is their equivalent of retailers' Christmas, " said Alva chief executive Bernard Donoghue.

BBC: Number of visitors to UK drops in Olympic month

On Tuesday, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) said that the wet summer and Olympics had meant that some London attractions had hosted 60% fewer visitors than usual during the two-week period of the Games.

BBC: Number of visitors to UK drops in Olympic month

Last month the castle's owner, Historic Scotland, blamed the wet weather for a drop in visitor numbers, after recording a 9% decrease over the summer.

BBC: Edinburgh Castle 'best heritage attraction'

Roy Page, managing director of Knights Leisure, said poor summer weather and events such as London 2012 and the Queen's Jubilee hit visitor numbers.

BBC: Camelot Theme Park in Lancashire closes down

But though a quarter of that population, about 15 million people, claims some Irish heritage, their visitor numbers are going south as well, with a 6 percent decline last summer compared to 2011.

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Alva said visitor numbers to garden and leisure sites in London were down by 21% over the summer.

BBC: Entrance gates at Kew Gardens