Osprey egg wait over at Loch of the Lowes
Dunkeld’s breeding ospreys at Loch of the Lowes have their first egg - and another one was expected last night after the PA went to print.
Huge relief follows the first sign that the returning pair were settling into their breeding cycle as the first egg arrived on Saturday, a full week after expectations from the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) who guard the nest site.
“We’re delighted to have our first egg of the season,”said Emma Castle-Smith, assistant visitor centre manager.
“LF15 [the female osprey] gave us a glimpse of the egg at around 3.45 this [Saturday] morning.”
Breeding partner, male osprey LM12, brought a fish back to the nest when day broke and took over incubation duties for a short time while LF15 ate some food.
Emma had been concerned things were not progressing as the first egg had been predicted for Saturday, April 7 but there was still no show until seven days later.
She admitted the week’s wait had been an anxious one for her as this is her first season in charge of the SWT visitor attraction, which has its fortunes in terms of visitors strongly correlated to the presence of an osprey family.
Yesterday Emma advised that eggs tend to be laid at night and there could be a second in the nest by Tuesday morning.
It will be all go from here on, with osprey eggs taking an average of 37 days to hatch, so the Loch of the Lowes reserve could have chicks by mid-late May.
Female LF15 with her first egg. Pic by SWT