The heat today at Loch of the Lowes has been causing a few problems for wildlife, technology and sunburnt staff and volunteers alike!

Though the sunshine is glorious, the temperature here is in the high 20’s ( by some reports locally 29degrees) making it one of the hottest places in the UK today. 0ur camera equipment is definitely struggling in the heat, as Lindsey explained, so we will continue to stream the slightly different view of the nest tonight which seems to be coping better with the heat.

 On the osprey nest, our female has spent virtually the whole day shading her chick from the sun- positioning herself so that her shadow falls on the chick, and making herself as wide as possible to maximize the shade she can provide. She hasn’t spent much time at all off the nest today, aware that here protection is vital for her offspring. The male has brought in two fish, which means the chick is getting its hydration as well as food as it should. There has also been a persistent osprey intruder , who has gone past several times today, but this unringed and untagged bird hasn’t made an serious attempts to land on the nest- its seems to be just ‘dropping by’ occasionally.

 Elsewhere on the loch, one of the Great Crested Grebe pair has been injured , judging by this great picture kindly loaned to us by Clive Davies. We think a pike has had a go at it, trying to drag the bird under ( the large pike in this loch often eat small ducks) but the grebe survived, and is at this moment sitting on the nest with its two chicks and partner nearby. So far it is swimming and feeding normally, so we will keep a close eye on it.

 

 

Lastly it is very noticeable how many more geese there have been on the loch in the last week or so. The large local population of Canada geese mostly breed elsewhere ( on nearby lochs with islands) but now that their young are hatched and mobile, they are moving around all the lochs daily to feed. Amongst them are a couple of more unusual characters, including a Barnacle goose and a hybrid goose who is very distinctive.

 

Many thanks to John Monks for these photographs.

Ranger Emma