News

Three become two as youngest osprey chick dies in the nest

Staff and volunteers at the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve near Dunkeld, were devastated last night as one of the three osprey chicks that hatched earlier this month, died mysteriously in the nest at 5.00 am this morning (Thursday 31 May 2007).

The youngest and smallest of the three chicks seemed to fade away as volunteers manning the 24-hour osprey protection programme watched helplessly as events unfolded live on CCTV. As Peter Ferns, Visitor Centre Manager at Loch of the Lowes said, the news is a blow to osprey conservation; ?it is difficult not to form some emotional attachment at some level to these chicks. But at the end of the day, nature can be cruel and it is always going to be a case of survival of the fittest. In a highly competitive nest, the chicks fight for attention and food from their parents and it is often the largest and loudest that receive the lion?s share. This size and development of this chick was always going to make things difficult but not impossible.?

The male osprey returned to the reserve near Dunkeld on 29 March 2007 and was followed a few days later by the female. The three chicks hatched on 20, 22 and 23 May 2007 and as Ferns continued, staff and volunteers are hoping that the remaining chicks will make it through and live to fledge. ?The two chicks seem to be strong and active so we?re not worried about them at the moment but the first ten days are always a testing time. We?re just hoping that the weather improves as this must have been a contributing factor to the demise of the younger chick.?

Since 1969 when the first pair returned to Loch of the Lowes (and only the fifth known pair in Scotland), the reserve has successfully helped to raise 66 chicks on the site with 48 produced by the current female. For those interested and with internet access, live footage from the nest is beamed live on the website at www.swt.org.uk so web visitors can follow the trials and tribulations of the osprey story from anywhere in the world.

SWT recently launched its we can do more in Perthshire, a campaign aimed at ensuring the long term survival of iconic but threatened species such as the red squirrel and osprey. We can do more calls on Perthshire residents to donate funds in order to strengthen important local conservation projects. These include the 24-hour protection of breeding ospreys at Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve, alongside taking measures to ensure a safer future for Scotland?s red squirrel. To donate online, visit www.swt.org.uk and click on the "We can do more" icon.

To see the progress of the ospreys at the Loch of the Lowes reserve, why not pay a visit. Follow the wildlife reserve signs from the A9 and off the A923 or walk from nearby Dunkeld using the local footpath network. For more information contact 01350 727337.