Following the return of our regular breeding male LM12 on the 15th March (a new personal early record) the team at Loch of the Lowes were delighted to see his mate LF15 return at 17:47pm on Saturday 23rd March.

The male had been spending the previous few days partaking in a large amount of sky dancing to attract the attention of his mate and perfecting the nest, bringing in an incredible amount of soft bedding material and large sticks to build up the sides of the nest. He could be seen regularly ‘nest cupping’ using his body and back legs to increase the depth of the egg cup.

On arrival the female (LF15) gave the nest a quick inspection and was welcomed with an immediate display of intense sky dancing. Within half an hour he met the female’s persistent demands for dinner by presenting a fresh catch, headless of course, after all nothing says romance and ‘welcome home’ like a headless piece of fish!

He then left her snoozing for the night, exhausted after her long 3,000 mile journey back to Scotland from (most likely) West Africa. It wasn’t long before the pair were strengthening their bond, with regular mating beginning in earnest.

The last few days have seen the pair settle into a routine of nesting, further mating and eating. All being well we expect the first egg to be laid later next week.

Here’s to another exciting osprey watch season. Really who needs EastEnders or Corrie when you can tune into our webcam for all the latest goings on!

Or even better come down to our Visitor Centre (open 10:30am – 5pm every day, with viewing hides open 24/7). We hope to see you soon.

Sara Rasmussen
Perthshire Ranger