Good afternoon all,

Events from the nest today:

The excitement is palpable here at the reserve as we all await the second egg to be laid by our resident female. The male has continued to deliver a steady supply of fish which is essential for her to produce more eggs. At 12:19 7Y delivered a fish to the nest which our female then flew off with, leaving our male to incubate for a while. However, at 12:42 another osprey flew into the vicinity of the nest and so our male made chase; returning within 5 minutes.

A question we received via ospreys@swt.org.uk asked us what would happen to the pair if our female fails to produce a healthy clutch and the chicks do not then hatch. Research by Roy Dennis indicates that where eggs fail to hatch, the pair of ospreys are likely to remain in the area and make for an early migration when the season dictates. It has been known in some circumstances that if a nest is disturbed, the pair of ospreys may build a ‘frustration’ nest, though this will not be used for breeding until possibly the next season.

Other Wildlife at Loch of the Lowes:

Today there have been an abnormal number of mute swans on the loch, along with Canada geese and mallard, goldeneye and tufted duck. Several great crested grebes were also seen.

The usual swarm of chaffinches were seen at the feeders, interspersed with great tits, blue tits and the occasional siskin and greenfinch.

Along with the familiar calls of chaffinch and great tit, the evocative cry of the curlew could be heard over the loch. These large wading birds breed on arable land and meadows and use their long, thin, down-curved bill to reach insect larvae and molluscs in sand and mud.

Anna and Simon