Female osprey LF15 has reunited with her mate LM12 at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve near Dunkeld in Perthshire.
The female bird touched down at 1:30pm today and quickly began rearranging the nest. Her mate arrived on the nest an hour later, and after a frosty start the pair made their first attempts at mating.
The Trust’s Perthshire Ranger Charlotte Fleming, Perthshire Ranger, said: “We knew it was LF15 as soon as she arrived at the reserve. She has unmistakable features including a prominent dark brown “Y” on the top of her head, and she quickly set to work rearranging her nest to her satisfaction.
“LM15 was joined by her mate within an hour. While it was a frosty reception with lots of shouting and mantling at first it only took a matter of minutes for them to begin to mate.
“Thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery our Osprey protection team is watching the nest round the clock, and members of the public can follow the exciting progress of our ospreys by visiting Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve and Visitor Centre or by watching our live osprey webcam.”
Clara Govier, Head of Charities, People’s Postcode Lottery said: “It’s great news that the resident ospreys at Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve have both arrived for their third season. While ospreys are a major conservation success story they are still rarer than golden eagles, and our players will be pleased that with their support Scottish Wildlife Trust is continuing to play a part in the recovery of the species.”
2017 is the ospreys’ third season as a breeding pair. The Trust is hopeful that the birds can repeat their successful fledging of three chicks in both 2015 and 2016.
LM12 arrived at the reserve at 3pm on Friday 17 March, and over the last week he has been busy fending off crows and creating a deep cup on the nest to hold this season’s eggs.
Ospreys were extinct in the UK in the early 20th Century but there are now around 240 breeding pairs thanks to the efforts of conservation charities including the Scottish Wildlife Trust, whose Osprey Protection Programme is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre is open daily from 10am – 5pm. Two family fun days are being held on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 April where families can build an osprey nest and discover fascinating facts about these amazing birds of prey.