Osprey Diary Loch of the Lowes – Week 5
It’s been another quiet week at Loch of the Lowes, full of incubation changes and fishy dinners, as resident ospreys NC0 and LM12 continue their preparations for the pitter patter of tiny talons. Despite it being later in the season for starting a nest, the number of osprey intrusions has remained steady and persistent. Watch LM12 face off an unringed female whilst NC0 feeds on the nearby split birch. When a second intrusion attempt is made however, NC0 swoops to LM12’s aid and they defend their nest together – hooray for teamwork!
Whilst we wait eagerly for our osprey chicks to hatch, those of us in the hides are being treated with the presence of the newly hatched waterfowl that are nesting at Loch of the Lowes this spring. The first to bring their young onto the loch were the mallard ducks; with one pair having captured the hearts of staff and volunteers on site. A female mallard (also known as a ‘hen’), made her first appearance with 15 ducklings in tow, however over the course of this week, her numbers have been dwindling, declining first to 14, then 8, and now 4! Hopefully this is mother duck’s lucky number, and she can continue to raise her chicks without fear of pikes in the shallow waters, or corvids in the sky.
As well as mallard ducklings, the yellow-headed goslings of nesting Canada geese have been present on the loch. They are easily recognised by their lemon-yellow heads and are often seen bobbing along in the slipstream of their parents’ wake.
The temperature’s been turning up at Lowes recently, and it truly shows. Plant life is beginning to flourish and bloom, and the calls of songbirds fill the air. Summer is certainly on the way and we hope these conditions persist when the much-anticipated osprey chicks finally hatch!
Stay tuned to the activities of LM12 and NC0 as they continue to incubate their eggs by watching our live webcam here. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates.
Charlotte Needham
Species Protection Officer
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Preface
It’s been another quiet week at Loch of the Lowes, full of incubation changes and fishy dinners, as resident ospreys NC0 and LM12 continue their preparations for the pitter patter …