Osprey watching (sort of)

The Met Office said it was going to rain this morning so I had no early visit to one of my local wildlife watching sites.

However, the rain never arrived and it just remained very grey and cloudy.

I stayed indoors and did some non-wildlife stuff which probably isn't really appropriate for this blog 😀

I also tuned in to Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin for their daily Self-Isolating Bird Club show on Twitter at 09:00 a.m.

In addition, I did some Osprey watching (from my lockdown flat!) by dipping in and out of the Osprey webcam which streams live from the Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve at the Loch of the Lowes near Dunkeld in Perthshire.

Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and the restrictions on travel within the UK, I cancelled all my planned spring and early summer wildlife trips, including my annual trip to the Scottish Highlands. My itinerary always includes a visit to the Loch of the Lowes to watch the Ospreys and other wildlife (including Eurasian Beaver!) at this wonderful location.

When cancelling my accommodation at Jessie Mac's in Birnam (2.5 miles from Loch of the Lowes), Dot, realising my disappointment at not being able to see the Ospreys this year, kindly informed me that the 2020 webcam was up and running and provided me with the link. A high quality HD live stream is certainly better than nothing.

This year, the established male Osprey arrived back at Loch of the Lowes on 21st March 2020. A week later, on 28th March 2020, while the male was in the process of "nestoration", a female Osprey flew on to the nest. This was not his usual mate but a new female unknown to the Scottish Wildlife Trust staff. Mating has subsequently occurred and the first eggs are awaited.

Here are 3 of my photos of Loch of the Lowes, the Osprey nest site and a fly-over Osprey which I took on trips in June 2011, June 2013 and June 2016:

Here is the live streaming Osprey webcam:

💚🦆 🦉 🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature