by Lindsey

Firstly an update on our injured Mute Swan. It seems to have broken the line that was holding its head to its chest but it still has the line around its mouth and hooks embedded in its skin. I was out yesterday on Craiglush Loch with Laura the Craiglush warden  looking for it but it wasn’t there as it was on Loch of the Lowes. Today when I’m at Loch of the Lowes it’s on Craiglush – I’m sure its avoiding me. It seems to be able to move around okay but we doubt it can feed properly. Trying to catch it on the water is unlikely so we’ll have to wait until its on land. Rest assured we’re monitoring it all the time with regular canoe patrols to check on its health, as soon as we can rescue we will.

In Osprey news no sooner had I posted a guide to the Perches than our young female, Blue YZ, sat somewhere else. Wildlife watching can be fickle. I had a similar experience earlier on this week as I’d just given a radio interview saying the female, affectionately known as ‘Lady’, was still here when the loch took on that strange empty feeling suggesting she’d gone, and sure enough she had.  Blue YZ has spent much of today on the Skeleton Tree with a few visits to the nest to order a fish tea from dad. Our two regular intruder Ospreys have been past for a flyby but not with serious intent. We have a new visitor. At the top of the loch we watched a juvenile Osprey practice fishing, there were long flights with several water strikes and several aborted attempts. It was clearly practicing its technique but it won’t be long before it succeeds. We knew it wasn’t Blue YZ as there was no leg ring or transmitter so it’ll be from one of the neighbouring nest and was far enough away not to bother our Ospreys.