After a dull start to the day, things brightened up enough to convince our female osprey to get up and give us some great views of our chick. We have had two fish deliveries so far today, but probably the most interesting delivery today was when our male tried to bring back a stick, and made a right old mess of landing, instead landing on top of the female! Both birds have been bringing back a lot of sticks in the last few days, as our chick is starting to get a bit more adventurous and moving about the nest.

On the loch we have been treated to some spectacular aerial acrobatics by the sand martins and swallows, skimming for insects in the bay. Our great crested grebes have now been sitting tight on their lily pad nest for 3 weeks,  so much so we haven’t been able to see if there are any eggs or not, although they are very protective of their nest, and today the male chased off another pair of grebe who got a little too close. Our goosander chicks are doing rather well, with one set of eleven, and another of six. We have also seen reed buntings and a pair of willow warblers in front of the hides.

Lastly, our squirrels have been putting on a nice wee show, with four seen out of the windows this morning, two of which had a minor squabble over the hazelnuts on top of our dead birch tree.

David Mylan – Visitor Centre Assistant