Female osprey NC0 has arrived back at her loch side nest on the evening of Friday 08 March at 17:52, staying on the nest for 15 minutes before flying to a favourite perch nearby and then taking a reconnaissance flight around the stunning Perthshire loch.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Perthshire Ranger, Sara Rasmussen, said: “After last year’s prompt arrival of both female and male breeding ospreys on the same day [17 March, 6 hours apart] I was vigilant this year that ospreys could arrive at any time from the beginning of March. However, I am truly amazed at just how early she has decided to migrate this spring.
“Capturing her reappearance on the nest is one of the many benefits of having a live webcam. It gives such a unique insight into the lives of these birds and provides valuable data about their breeding behaviour.
“I’m thrilled that she appears to be in such good condition after her long migration and it was great to see her get to work straightaway rearranging sticks to get the nest ready for another breeding season.”
This will be the female osprey’s fifth breeding season at Loch of the Lowes, where her and breeding male LM12 have fledged seven chicks together. The wait is now on to see if LM12 arrives for his 13th breeding season. However, he is older than the average age of most ospreys.
Breeding female osprey NC0 returns to her nest March 2024The refrain “eyes to the skies” will be heard across Perthshire and is a useful reminder for everyone across Scotland to be watchful throughout March for the passing overhead of these magnificent fish-eating birds of prey.
Ospreys were extinct in Britain for much of the 20th Century. They began to recover in the 1960s and an estimated 300 pairs of ospreys now breed in the UK each summer. Most of these birds migrate to West Africa but some overwinter in Spain and Portugal.
The recovery of ospreys is thanks to the efforts of conservation charities including the Scottish Wildlife Trust. The Species Protection Team at Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, with funds awarded by Postcode Planet Trust.
Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “It’s so exciting to hear that NC0 has returned to Loch of the Lowes. Fingers crossed she’s not on her own for too long and we soon get an appearance from LM12 for another successful breeding season.
“I’m so pleased that funding raised by our players is contributing to the protection of these remarkable birds.”
Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve and Visitor Centre is currently open seven days a week from 10:30am to 5pm.
Find out more about Loch of Lowes Wildlife Reserve here, on Facebook or Twitter. Watch the live webcam.
Learn more about osprey here.