Events On The Nest:

 This morning the nest was empty until 9:58 when the female returned and began alarm calling. At 10:13 the female began mantling on the nest and the male returned and began alarm calling for about two minutes before leaving again. At 10:21 the female began alarm calling, then left at 10:38. At 10:50 the female returned to the nest quickly followed by the male, who attempted to mate with her then left immediately after. The female was calling for over an hour between the times of 11:11 and 12:27 and then left at 12:35.

Other Wildlife at Loch of the Lowes:

On the loch today there were 6 great crested grebes, 2 mute swans and 21 mallard ducks.

At the viewing windows today there were 2 great spotted woodpeckers, a pheasant, 3 blue tits, a coal tit, 2 great tits, 10 chaffinch, a greenfinch, a siskin, a bank vole and 4 red squirrels.

Conservation work and sightings on the Perthshire reserves:

While removing Himalayan balsam at one of the Perthshire reserves today we witnessed the emergence of a multitude of Ermine moths (Yponomeuta evonymellus). While out and about in the countryside you may have noticed trees or shrubs almost cocooned in a fine web like material – this is the work of the Ermine moth caterpillar, with some trees having hundreds of larvae. The adult ermine moths are whitish /grey with a series of small black dots on the forewing.

On the same reserve there were also sightings of Buzzard, Dipper, Common gulls, Sand martins, a Treecreeper and Blue and Great tits.

Perthshire Reserves Conservation Team