Loch of the Lowes Osprey Wildlife Diary

Our female osprey has had a busy couple of days being a media star, and delighting us with wonderful veiws here at Loch of the Lowes. She has been spending the majority of her time on a high perch to the right of the nest, where she can keep a keen eye out for her mates’ expected arrival, so she may not always be visible on the webcam- don’t worry she’s not far off.

She has also had occassion to see off a buzzard who strayed too close to her nest yesterday, resulting in a spectacular,if brief, aerial  dogfight.

She has been feeding herself since her arrival, bringing in two large trout to help build her strength for breeding which is an excellent sign.

Wonderful news here at Loch of the Lowes, with the long awaiting arrival of our resident female osprey. She has made the long and hazardous migration from Africa sucessfully for another year, which is miraculous given her age- she is well into her twenties we beleive. If she goes on to breed this season, it will be her 20th breeding year here at Lowes- a UK record for an osprey.

She arrived about 2pm on Tuesday and immediately settled back into her nest- she began renovations and bringing in extra nesting material straight away as we expected. She is also in very good physical condition , which is vital for the breeding season.

No sign of her regular mate yet- and we know there is bad weather ( desert dust storms) on the migration route which may have slowed some birds down. However, we have had another visit from a stray male osprey yesterday, who flew over the loch calling and tried to land on the nest a couple of times- he was seen off by our female in no uncertain terms.

So will our veteran osprey couple be reunited in the next few days? We hope so!

Here at Loch of the Lowes we are all waiting with baited breath for the arrival of the ospreys this spring from their wintering grounds in Africa. As the ice on the loch finally melts, and the winter wildfowl begin to leave for the north, we are seeing our first summer visitors such as curlews arriving. The birds we are most eagerly awaiting are the ospreys of course- who usually arrive in the last week of March.

All the talk here is about whether or not the birds will be late this year, because of the hard winter conditions, or whether our female will be an early bird as usual. Will she even make it back this year? If she does it will be her record breaking 20th breeding year at Loch of the Lowes. This incredible bird has travelled thousands of miles on migration every year for 20 years, and has laid more than 50 eggs.

You can help us keep a lookout for our birds arrival via the webcam- if you are the first to spot an osprey on the nest, you can win a pair of Opticron binoculars. Just email us the exact date and time of your sighting, with your contact details, and an image if possible.

It will be my privilege to join you in watching the ospreys this year as the new Seasonal Perthshire Ranger based at Loch of the Lowes, and to help in protecting these amazing birds.