TWO ospreys have been reunited at their Scottish home after spending the winter thousands of miles away, and far apart from one another.
The moment came on Wednesday evening around half an hour after the female, named NC0, touched down.
The osprey arrived at the nest on the Loch of the Lowes, near Dunkeld in Perthshire, at 6.14pm on March 23 – two days earlier than she arrived in 2021.
A webcam installed in the nest caught the moment she first touched down after a long migration from Africa. The birds’ favoured areas are mainly in Gambia, Senegal and Guinea Bissau, according to the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
NC0 then met her partner and mate, male osprey LM12, around half an hour later when he visited the nest.
The Trust’s Perthshire ranger Sara Rasmussen said: “We’re delighted to see NC0 back at Lowes for her third season.
“Despite living totally separate lives during the winter, ospreys settle into life on the nest almost immediately. It wasn’t long before she was loudly demanding fish from LM12, and the pair were seen attempting to breed early this morning.
“Since LM12 arrived back on March 13 he’s been busily preparing the nest for the season ahead.
“It’s exciting to think that in just a few weeks’ time NC0 (below) could be incubating her eggs.”
NC0 was ringed as a chick near Loch Ness in 2016. She first bred with LM12 in 2020 and the pair have successfully raised three chicks.
Laura Chow, the head of charities at the People's Postcode Lottery, said: "Our players will be thrilled to hear that the ospreys have reunited at Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve.
“With funding raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, the Scottish Wildlife Trust works to protect these iconic birds of prey and help people discover more about their amazing lives.”
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.
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. You can watch the webcam live here:
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel