This week has started with a ba-ba-boom thanks to NC0 laying her third (and last) egg, right as the nest was being intruded on by a couple of other ospreys!

It was surprising to see NC0 laying the last egg on Easter Monday at 12.14pm, despite the stress caused by two ospreys intruding many times that morning. The intruders were both male and female adult ospreys, possibly a pair trying to steal the resident pairs’ nest. The female looks to be a familiar repeat offender that regularly intruded last year as well. Our Species Protection Officer Bethany is investigating the markings of the various birds and will report back in due course.

The rest of the week has been very calm, with nearly no intrusions, and both the ospreys and visitors have been enjoying the sunny spell. LM12, being a good Dad, is very keen on his incubation duties and regularly offers to swap over with NC0 throughout the day.

The nights are still quite chilly, which causes a mist to form over the loch as the sun rises. The temperature between Monday and Tuesday was so low that NC0, being still all night long to incubate, had some frost on her back!

The eggs will be incubated for a further 4-5 weeks before hatching. Over this time, our four Species Protection Officers, Ranger and dedicated team of Osprey Watch volunteers will be monitoring the nest, recording the birds’ behavior and remaining vigilant for any potential human disturbances. You can watch the nest from our live webcam here. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates.

Daniela Senatore
Species Protection Officer
The Trust’s Osprey Protection Programme at Loch of the Lowes is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.