THE LOCH of the Lowes ospreys are in for a busy few weeks with the hatching of their chicks.

The first young broke out of the egg on Sunday and was witnessed by the volunteer watchers—and filmed by the CCTV camera.

Countryside Ranger Andrea Williams said about 6.30am the male arrived with the remains of a fish, but the female took off from the nest without taking it.

“So the male sat on the edge of the nest eating, giving us a great view of the eggs. They were still intact,” said Andrea.

“Then I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw the egg ‘jump’.

“We had never seen such close pictures before and never seen the egg hatching process. The egg continued to move quite a few times until the male finished his fish and decided to brood.”

He was replaced a few minutes later by the female and then, a couple of hours later, she got up.

Then, the visitor centre assistant who was watching the CCTV screen noticed a hole in the egg and movement behind it.

“At 11.35am a pink bundle popped out the shell and although it was still sitting in one half of the shell the female immediately brooded it,” said Andrea.

In the evening the volunteers got their first clear view of the chick, dried out and quite white.

Later that evening they watched entranced as the chick received its first piece of fish, but it took some time, as every time the young looked up to be fed, the mother bird was eating, and when it offered a morsel the chick was lying flat.

The second egg hatched at 12.30am on Monday night, which came as a surprise, as it was thought eggs always hatched in the morning.

Like the first one this chick just seemed to pop out its shell and to their surprise the female immediately produced a fish and started feeding the young.

Now the staff and volunteers are waiting for the third egg to hatch and hoping the male will increase his deliveries of food to his new family.