It was a fantastic day at Loch of the Lowes yesterday, with the hatching of our third and final egg of the season. Despite its shell being half encased by that of an older sibling’s, our newest chick managed to emerge allowing us to catch our first glimpse shortly after 1pm. The new arrival was lucky to receive its first taste of fish (from a big rainbow trout) very soon after hatching and we’re sure it won’t be long until this little one has an appetite the same size as the older chicks’!

It’s lovely to see our pair demonstrating the same care and attention as they did with their previous brood last year. LF15 seems very reluctant to leave her chicks exposed, to the extent that her partner has taken to feeding her while she sits tight on the new brood! LM12 continues to remind us of his fishing skills by providing plenty of food for his hungry family, already treating the new chicks to a range of fish including salmon, rainbow trout and pike.

Whilst we are delighted with the current progress of our ospreys, the recent sad events at Bassenthwaite are a stark reminder of just how quickly the situation can change. Nature can sometimes be very cruel and not knowing what lies around the corner, every day is a new challenge for our ospreys in the fight for breeding and survival. Our thoughts go out to the osprey team at Lake District Osprey Project, and we all hope to see their chick thrive and flourish as the season progresses.

Charlotte,

Perthshire Ranger.