Bird watchers monitoring one of Scotland’s most famous nests are celebrating the reunion of its two resident ospreys.
Laddie, also known as LM12, was joined at the Loch of the Lowes reserve, near Dunkeld, by female osprey known as NC0.
She could be heard loudly begging for food. The pair quickly attempted to mate once the male arrived back at the nest.
Sara Rasmussen, Perthshire Ranger for the Scottish Wildlife Trust said: “NC0’s return means our season has truly begun. NC0 and LM12 are showing all the signs of an established pair and we have already seen mating attempts.
“We’re ready to give these birds the round the clock protection that they need for a successful breeding season.”
NC0 was ringed at a nest near Loch Ness in 2016. She first bred with LM12 in 2020, and the pair successfully fledged one chick together. LM12 has been breeding at the reserve since 2012.
The male bird arrived at the reserve at 5pm on Sunday. Since then he has been working hard to prepare the nest for the season ahead, rearranging sticks and twigs and digging out a shallow nest cup.
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 the players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
The Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre and Wildlife Reserve is currently closed to the public.
