Osprey fever is growing here at Loch of the Lowes as we inch ever nearer to the potential return of our famous resident female ‘Lady’, for what would be her landmark 25th year. There have been a couple of reports of osprey sightings in Scotland already – one yesterday near Coupar Angus (not 15 miles from here), and one this morning over the Eden estuary near St Andrews, so we could be literally days away from our first osprey sighting at Lowes!

As anticipation builds, the Scottish Wildlife Trust has launched a competition supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery to guess when ‘Lady’ might arrive. In recent years she has tended to arrive towards the very end of March (30th/31st), however her earliest arrival was on 20th March in 2009 and her latest arrival was on 7th April in 1991 (the first year she ever appeared), so it really is anyone’s guess.

Members of the public can enter the People’s Postcode Lottery Osprey Countdown by visiting scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/osprey-countdown. The winner of the competition will be treated to a once-in-a-lifetime, VIP Osprey Experience at Loch of the Lowes plus an osprey adoption pack.

In the meantime, why not pop down to Loch of the Lowes to see if you can be the first person to spot ‘Lady’ or her mate? The visitor centre is open daily from 10am-5pm, with the observation hide accessible 24/7.

Alternatively, if you can’t make it along in person keep an eye on the nest by visiting scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/ospreycam