Events from the nest today:

It is now 40 days after the first egg was laid by our resident female osprey and we are still waiting for a sign that the first may hatch. It is not unusual for our female osprey to incubate until 42 days after laying.  Those of you who are local or watching the webcam may be aware that we are experiencing incredibly strong winds at present here at Loch of the Lowes. Wind speeds are expected to ease off a little through the night, but are likely to be strong again tomorrow.

Let us reassure you that the nest, though very exposed to the elements, is actually very stable. Osprey nests are designed to move in sync with the tree, so try not to be too alarmed when watching the webcam and seeing a lot of movement. The shape of the nest with its bowl like sides is serving its purpose of helping to protect the eggs from the weather and preventing them from rolling out. Our female can be seen hunkering right down into the nest where the sides protect her from the wind.

At 4pm today an intruding osprey landed on the nest! Our female osprey was incubating at the time. She seemed undeterred and remained in position. A few seconds later the intruding osprey left.  It is possible that the intruding osprey was struggling in the wind and took the opportunity to break on the nest.

Since the last blog was posted, yesterday, our male osprey, 7Y, delivered a very large fish to the nest which our female took and flew away with to eat elsewhere returning after almost 2 ½ hours.

The 24 hour Watch continues here at Loch of the Lowes – ensuring the security of the three eggs on the nest. We will keep you all updated as any events unfold.

We have received quesries via ospreys@swt.org.uk regarding the satellite tracing programme. Full details of this can be found on our dedicated webpage; so for answers to any of your questions, follow this link:

http://www.swt.org.uk/wildlife/ospreys-at-lowes/osprey-tracking/

For any more questions regarding our ospreys that you may have, please check our dedicated FAQ page and see if you can find the answer you are looking for:

http://www.swt.org.uk/wildlife/ospreys-at-lowes/frequently-asked-questions/

Other wildlife at Loch of the Lowes:

Elsewhere on the loch today were 4 great crested grebes and several tufted duck. Flying overhead were around 8 house martins along with approximately 30 sand martins. Swallows, swifts and black headed gulls could also be seen. A less frequent sight here this morning at Loch of the Lowes was a Red Kite.

Meanwhile at the feeders were pheasants, great spotted woodpeckers, a robin, pied wagtails, blue tits, coal tits, great tits, chaffinches, greenfinches, siskins and yellowhammers. A red squirrel has also been seen today.

Anna

Perthshire Reserves Seasonal Ranger