It is wet wet wet here at Loch of the Lowes this morning, but we are not complaining as we desperately need the rain. Our Loch level is very low and the well we rely on for water supply is drying out, so the downpours are most welcome!
Our osprey chicks are well tucked under mum and luckily by this stage they are able to generate a fair amount of their own body heat so the wet weather is less of a risk to their welfare. The lower water level is probably making things easier for our male osprey too, fishing being easier.
Other species on the Loch have benefited somewhat from the lower water levels. For example, two of our Great Crested Grebe pairs have hatched chicks over the weekend, the first sucessful hatching for three years ( heavy summer rain had meant nests in previous years were flooded out and eggs lost). The loch is also busy with ducklings and the black headed gulls are noticeably busy hoovering up the emerging insects over the water. It is always busy at Lowes!
Emma Rawling Perthshire Ranger