A family of ospreys at a Tayside nature reserve are preparing to leave after a summer of thrilling birdwatchers.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Balgavies Loch, a few miles east of Forfar, has established itself as a hotbed of osprey action over the past few months after the reserve’s returning pair hatched a brood of four chicks.
In 2012, Balgavies claimed the first recorded Angus osprey chick, and the adult pair returned the following year to rear three youngsters.
A further two chicks were raised the year after that, but regular reserve visitors were delighted earlier this summer when four tiny heads popped up above the edge of the island nest at the small but very popular attraction, part of which includes a path on the old railway line linking Auldbar station to Forfar.
An average osprey clutch size is two and although broods of four are not unknown, a big family puts enormous pressure on the parents to keep hungry mouths fed.
Balgavies is ideally positioned next to the popular Rescobie Loch fishery with a plentiful supply of rainbow and brown trout, but the Angus birds are known to also fish farther afield, including Montrose basin.
As the Angus family has grown up, recent weeks have seen the youngsters honing their own flying and fishing skills in advance of their impending migration journey, captivating visitors to the reserve’s small but well-positioned hide and offering excellent opportunities for the many enthusiastic photographers who have shared some spectacular images on social media sites including Facebook.
Only one Angus osprey has ever been tagged – the first chick now known as Blue YD, It was initially tracked to Senegal, but fears it may have come to harm after the young male’s signal was lost gave way to relief when the bird was photographed back home earlier this year.
