For the first time ever both the female osprey NC0 and her mate LM12 have arrived back at our Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve in Perthshire on the same day.
Female NC0 arrived first on the nest at 07.43am today (17 March 2023) giving it a spruce-up straight away. Lunchtime, saw male LM12 arrive next to her on the nest at 13:43, exactly 6 hours later performing a sky dance just before landing.
Perthshire Ranger, Sara Rasmussen is delighted to see both back again at the stunning Perthshire loch. She said: “This is the earliest NC0 has ever arrived back and is looking in very good health after her long flight. She was ‘nestorating’ straight – giving the nest a tidy up.
“I was totally delighted to see her back this morning. When I saw her looking up from the nest into the sky, I grabbed a pair of binoculars and sure enough she had spotted her breeding mate LM12. Last year LM12 was first back with a record date of 13 March 2022.
“It is wonderful to have them both back together to breed and on the same day makes it extra special.”
NC0 was ringed as a chick near Loch Ness in 2016. She first bred in 2020 and has successfully raised five chicks. This will be the 12th breeding season for male osprey LM12 at Loch of the Lowes.
Laura Chow, Head of Charities, People’s Postcode Lottery said: “The start of the osprey season at Loch of the Lowes is a clear sign that spring is on its way. The Scottish Wildlife Trust’s reserve and webcam provide a perfect opportunity to view these incredible birds of prey up close and to learn more about their breeding behaviours and the challenges they face rearing a brood of young.”
Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre is currently open seven days a week from 10:30am to 5pm. The Scottish Wildlife Trust’s live osprey webcam ensures people from around the world can follow events as they happen.
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 winter in Spain and Portugal.
The recovery of ospreys is thanks to the efforts of conservation charities including the Scottish Wildlife Trust. The Osprey Protection Programme at Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, with funds awarded by Postcode Planet Trust.
Find out more about Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve here, on Facebook or Twitter.