No cold comfort for heroic osprey incubating eggs in ‘snow doughnut’

AN osprey is braving wintry conditions to incubate her three eggs while sitting in a “snow doughnut”.

Female EJ, who turns 20 this year, and male partner Odin returned to the RSPB Scotland Loch Garten site last month for their ninth season together.

EJ continues to sit on the nest at the loch in Strathspey despite being almost buried in snow.

RSPB staff said the snow acts as an insulator and that she and the eggs should be fine so long as the cold weather does not continue. Julie Quirie, retail manager at the Loch Garten Osprey Centre shop, said: “I’ve worked at the centre for 10 years and I just can’t remember the snow ever being so bad. Poor old EJ does look pretty miserable in her snow doughnut, as we like to call it, but this is her 15th season here at Loch Garten and she’s well used to the worst of Scottish spring weather.

“And it’s really not as bad as it seems – snow is a good insulator. So long as this snow snap doesn’t persist, EJ and her eggs should be fine. It still looks really uncomfortable to us though.”

EJ and Odin are the site’s most successful osprey pair, with 17 chicks fledged.