The nesting pair of ospreys at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve near Dunkeld have hatched their third chick of 2016.
Volunteers at the reserve got their first glimpse of the chick just after 1pm on Monday 23 May. It follows the first chick which hatched on the afternoon of Wednesday 18 May and the second which came in the early hours of Friday 20 May. The nesting pair have been bringing back salmon and trout to feed their growing brood.
A webcam trained on the nest has been viewed nearly 500,000 times since the female osprey LF15 returned to the reserve on 22 March.
Charlotte Fleming, Perthshire Ranger, Scottish Wildlife Trust said: “We’re delighted that our pair of ospreys has successfully hatched another brood of three chicks in their second season at Loch of the Lowes. They are excellent parents and plenty of food is being brought back to the nest to help the hungry young ones quickly grow into adult birds.”
Osprey chicks are covered in down, but start to grow new feathers within days. They grow very quickly and are ready to fly after seven to eight weeks. This rapid growth is fuelled by a high protein diet of pike, trout and other fish brought to the nest by their attentive parents.
Over the weekend visitors to the reserve have been treated to spectacular displays as the male osprey LM12 fought off intruding ospreys and crows. One osprey managed to land on the nest briefly before it was chased away.
Once extinct in the UK, there are now around 240 breeding pairs of ospreys thanks to the efforts of nature conservation charities including the Scottish Wildlife Trust, whose Osprey Protection Programme is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Clara Govier, Head of Charities, People’s Postcode Lottery said: “A staggering number of people have viewed the webcam supported by our players, which just goes to show how popular these beautiful birds are. Ospreys are rarer than golden eagles so their conservation is vitally important, so it’s great that people can follow the development of the chicks every step of the way.”