A NEW female osprey has turned up at a conservation site in Perth and Kinross – and knocked an older bird off her perch by mating with the resident male.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust today confirmed the arrival of the new osprey at its Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve, near Dunkeld.
Wildlife fans had been waiting to see if another female osprey, affectionately known by many as ‘Lady’, will return for what would have been her 25th year at the site.
But yesterday afternoon a younger female appeared in the nest and began pair-bonding with the resident male.
She has since mated with him multiple times.
Wildlife ranger Charlotte Fleming said: “Everyone at the Scottish Wildlife Trust Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre and Wildlife Reserve is so excited by the arrival of this new female.
“Many people have been asking if this means that our famous osprey – affectionately known by many as ‘Lady’ – will not return this year, but we simply do not know.
“There is still a possibility that she will return – and dramatic scenes could unfold if ‘Lady’ were to begin to compete for her nest and her mate.”
Last year, an “ospreycam” at the site that uploaded images of the protected birds to a website drew a million viewers from 96 different countries.
Easter weekend visitors eager to see the new contentious new arrival can also attend the Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre’s family fun days from 11am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.
The Ospreycam is available at: scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/ospreycam
