Osprey at Loch of the Lowes

Today I had a gorgeous afternoon walk to the Loch of the Lowes osprey site to find that two ospreys had just arrived from their migration from West Africa - among the first to return to Scotland. It was wonderful to see them circling above the loch. The Scottish Wildlife Trust person at the Centre informed me that the bird in my inset shot was a male of around 7 years of age. This will be its 4th year at the Loch, and during previous seasons it has caught around 400 fish to feed its mate, its offspring and itself. So it has great skill. This site is well protected with electronic and human surveillance. Hopefully, this bird will mate successfully and be able to raise a brood.

The established nest is just to the the right and slightly below the tall tree that protrudes above the hill on the left of the picture. I set the camera to 400 ISO which allowed a shutter speed of 1/1250th at f/9 in the bright sunlight - enough to freeze the bird in flight and let me crop the image to enlarge in the inset. This particular bird has a characteristic little dark smudge on the underside of the right wing which can be seen clearly when the picture is enlarged.

If you are in the Dunkeld area in the next few months make an effort to visit this wonderful SWT hide. Or you can view their live webcam. I was lucky enough through the hide telescope to catch a glimpse of the bird land on its nest. No eggs yet, of course. In fact, they are not sure if the second bird is a female, but another male bird who may challenge the occupancy of the nest. Nature raw in tooth and claw!