THE MYSTERIOUS death of an osprey chick at the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve has devastated staff and volunteers.

The chick, the youngest and smallest of three hatched this month, died mysteriously in the nest at 5am yesterday. It faded away as volunteers on the 24-hour osprey protection programme watched helplessly on live CCTV.

Peter Ferns, visitor centre manager, said it was a blow to osprey conservation.

“It is difficult not to form some emotional attachment at some level with these chicks but, at the end of the day, nature can be cruel and it is always going to be a case of survival of the fittest.

“In a highly competitive nest, the chicks fight for attention and food from their parents and it is often the largest and loudest that receive the lion’s share,” he said. “The size and development of this chick was always going to make things difficult but not impossible.”

The male osprey returned to the reserve near Dunkeld on March 29 and was followed a few days later by the female. The three chicks hatched on May 20, 22 and 23. Peter, the staff and volunteers hope the remaining chicks will make it through.

“The two chicks seem to be strong and active so we’re not worried about them at the moment but the first 10 days are always a testing time,” he said. “We hope the weather improves as this must have been a contributing factor to the younger chick’s demise.”

During Wednesday’s rain and wind, the male brought fish in for the young but the female seemed reluctant to expose the chicks to the elements in order to feed them. An experienced bird, she has fledged 48 of the 66 young ospreys that have flown from the Lowes nest

Live footage from the nest is beamed live on the website at www.swt.org.uk so web visitors can follow the trials and tribulations of the osprey story from anywhere in the world.