World's Oldest Breeding Osprey Returns to Scotland for the 20th Year!!
Wildlife rangers watched with bated breath as the oldest breeding osprey recorded in Scotland returned to its Perthshire nest for the 20th consecutive year. The female bird was spotted yesterday landing at her usual eyrie at the Loch of the Lowes, near Dunkeld. Estimated to be 25 years old, more than three times the usual lifespan, she had completed a 3,000-mile migration from West Africa to her summer breeding ground.
“She is a hardy old bird, that’s for sure,” said Emma Rawling, a ranger for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, which manages the loch as a nature reserve. “We are truly amazed at her tenacity and endurance.” During the last 19 seasons the osprey has laid 55 eggs, 46 of which have successfully hatched into chicks that flew the nest. Whether she will prove so fecund this year was a moot point, said Ms Rawling.
Usually after mating, we would expect the female to lay between two to four eggs in early April. Six weeks later the eggs should hatch. As a very old bird, her fertility is now in doubt,” she added.
It is expected that her mate, a male osprey who is identified with a green leg ring, will arrive within a week. Should an egg be laid, trust staff, helped by up to 70 volunteers, will man a round-the-clock watch to safeguard the osprey and their eggs.
High life: The Old Lady of the Loch
6,000 miles - distance travelled by the Old Lady of the Loch every year during her migration. She has flown an estimated 150,000 miles in her lifetime.
25 years - the bird's probable age.
55 eggs - the number of eggs she has laid, 46 of which have hatched.
