Female osprey NC0 laid her third egg of the season at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve on Tuesday 23 April at 8:47pm, 6 days after the arrival of her first egg on Wednesday 17 April and 3 days after egg number two on Saturday 20 April.

This new egg is easily distinguished from the others by the dark red end on it. Egg 2 is the palest of the clutch and egg 1 somewhere in between. This should make tracking each egg a little easier during the incubation period and help predict which one is likely to hatch first.

NC0 will now stay on the nest to incubate her eggs for around 5-6 weeks before they hatch.

During the incubation period, a female osprey will incubate the eggs for around 80% of the time, with the male taking over for brief periods while the female feeds on the fish that he brings to the nest.

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.

Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre is currently open seven days a week from 10:30am to 5pm. The Trust’s live osprey webcam ensures people from around the world can follow events as they happen.