With news that a local osprey has already been seen back at his nest in the last few days, I thought I should take a moment to briefly introduce myself before our osprey pair return (hopefully!) and take centre stage.

Having been in post as the seasonal ranger at Loch of the Lowes last year, I’m absolutely delighted to now be returning as full time ranger for the next 3 years. My history before joining the Scottish Wildlife Trust very much centres on UK wildlife and conservation, both areas that I am incredibly passionate about. Following my graduation from Edinburgh University with a BSc Hons in Zoology, I have worked in a variety of roles within the environment sector gaining a wealth of knowledge and experience, with my areas of speciality being Scottish mammals. In the last few years, I have also developed a very keen interest in UK raptors and enjoy taking part in a variety of monitoring schemes, as I am very lucky to live in an area with so many wonderful birds of prey. Outside my role as SWT ranger, I enjoy spending as much time as I can outdoors and regularly volunteer with a range of local wildlife charities.

 

Whilst Spring is now finally upon us, bringing our countryside back to life, here at Loch of the Lowes our attention very much focuses on our ospreys. Running our 24 hour Osprey Protection Watch, including providing visitor engagement and public events is no mean feat, so I am very fortunate to be surrounded by a fantastic army of dedicated volunteers. Alongside them, I also look forward to welcoming our 3 new full time volunteers and 2 nightshift staff who are all vital to ensuring our programme runs like clockwork. Over the next few weeks, you will hear from them all in turn as they introduce themselves and help me to keep you all updated on the latest osprey goings on via our blog.

I couldn’t have asked for a better result of 3 healthy fledglings from my first season at Lowes last year – here’s hoping history repeats itself this year! I am very excited for our osprey season kicking off, and waiting with great anticipation to see that well known silhouette returning to the currently beautiful blue skies above our reserve.

Charlotte,

Perthshire Ranger.