Female osprey Lassie laid her first egg of the season at Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the Lowes reserve in Perthshire around 3.45am on Saturday.
Lassie, whose official name is LF15, touched down at the reserve on March 20 ahead of the mating season.
Rachael Hunter, Perthshire Ranger, Scottish Wildlife Trust said: “We’ve been expecting to see an egg for about a week so I’m delighted that a long wait is over.
“LF15 laid three eggs last year so we might see another one in around three days’ time.
“LF15 has been keeping her egg nice and warm this morning, although LM12 came back to the nest shortly after 6am and caused a short squabble by trying to push her out of the way!
“Since then he has brought another fish back to the nest and took over incubating the egg to give his mate a chance to feed.
“Thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery our volunteer and Species Protection Officers are able to keep a close eye on the progress of our ospreys and prevent them being disturbed by people.”
Lassie and long-term mate LM12 have fledged eight chicks since becoming a pair in 2015.
Sanjay Singh, Senior Programmes Manager, People’s Postcode Lottery said: “Our players will be delighted that LF15 has laid her first egg of the season.
“We’re pleased that their support means ospreys are well protected on this scenic reserve.”
Osprey eggs are around the size of a duck egg.
They are laid around three days apart and take an average of 37 days to hatch.
Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre is open daily from 10am–5pm with 24-hour access to the reserve hides.
The Trust’s live osprey webcam ensures people from around the world can follow events as they happen.
Ospreys were extinct in Britain for much of the 20th century.
They began to recover in the 1960s and around 260 pairs of ospreys now 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.
