The first of two young osprey chicks at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve in Perthshire has successfully fledged from the nest.
The eldest chick, ringed LP8, completed its first flight around the reserve on Wednesday 13 July at 10:06am, soaring high and off around ‘The Point’ of the Loch before returning to the nest after a few minutes. It’s sibling, ringed LR0, is likely to follow suit very soon.
Sara Rasmussen, Perthshire Ranger, Scottish Wildlife Trust said: “It’s exciting to see the first chick take flight after so many long weeks spent protecting their nest. This is a great moment for the more than 60 local volunteers who support our long-running Osprey Protection Programme, which ensures the birds are kept safe from human disturbance.
“It really won’t be long now until these birds set off on their maiden migrations so we’d encourage people to visit soon if they want to see the ospreys before they fly south.”
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “It’s fantastic that players of People’s Postcode Lottery have been able to support another successful season at Loch of the Lowes and we’re hoping that these young ospreys will be able to form breeding pairs, contributing to the wider recovery of these amazing birds of prey.”
The current breeding pair at Loch of the Lowes are male LM12 and female NC0. The pair first bred in 2020 and have now successfully raised five chicks together. LP8 is the 86th osprey to have fledged from Loch of the Lowes since ospreys arrived at the reserve in 1969.
Ospreys were extinct in Britain for much of the 20th Century. They began to recover in the 1960s and today an estimated 300 pairs breed in the UK each summer.
This recovery is 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.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust’s live osprey webcam ensures people from around the world can follow events as they happen.
Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre & Wildlife Reserve is currently open to the public from 10:30am – 5pm, seven days a week.