Young Rival For Breeding Osprey
A young female osprey has moved into the nest of the UK's oldest-known breeding osprey and paired up with her mate.
Staff at the Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve, near Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, have been waiting to see if Lady the female osprey will return for what would be her 25th year at the Scottish Wildlife Trust site.
However, late yesterday afternoon a young female osprey appeared in the nest and began pair-bonding with the resident male osprey, nicknamed Laddie.
She has since mated multiple times with Laddie, who has been Lady's mate for the past few years.
Rangers said there could be "dramatic scenes" if 29-year-old Lady were now to return and face competition for her nest and mate.
Scottish Wildlife Trust Perthshire 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.
"The natural behaviour of ospreys is fascinating and one of the many reasons that the ospreycam drew a million viewers last year from 96 different countries.''
Lady has laid 71 eggs and fledged 50 chicks from her nest.
If she does return the young female osprey could find herself ejected to a nearby nest, while Laddie could end up flitting between the two nests if he mates with both females.