With supporters around the world watching her every move, Loch of the Lowes osprey Lady is back flying and feeding but still looking a bit fragile.
“She flew off from the nest and took a couple of drinks of water from the loch and then flew back to the nest,” said visitor centre manager Peter Ferns.
“It’s quite a strange thing that’s happening. It took her some time and she seemed a bit disorientated, as if things were not computing properly.
“Later the male then left a pike for the chicks, which she showed no interest in.”
Mr Ferns described what followed as the “most amazing thing” when mother and one of her chicks communicated with each other as the youngster was eating.
At around 9pm on Monday veteran Lady looked perkier and was seen on the nest feeding beside the two chicks as the male bird returned.
And in a blog update later in the evening Peter reported, “She has now fed herself and the chicks four times this evening. This is good news and yes there is a but, but she still is not 100%. Let’s hope our male can get some fish into the nest early tomorrow morning so she can feed again soon.”
Then, this morning, he added, “No fish yet but she did find a morsel in the nest a little while ago. Her eyes are still sunken and could remain like that for a few days yet, until she gets enough fluids in her and her body fills out again. Let’s hope whatever this was that affected her so badly does not have a lasting effect.”
Internet viewers have been captivated by Lady’s plight and this was confirmed by the fact the Loch of the Lowes blog crashed as a result of the unprecedented amount of traffic it has attracted.
At the weekend webcam viewers across the world watched as the 25-year-old female lay lifeless in her nest.
Experts feared the famed bird, who has been returning to the breeding site near Dunkeld each spring for 20 years, was just hours from death.
However Lady, who has played a huge part in the recovery of Scotland’s osprey population, is fighting back against the odds.
“Lady has become famous across the world and we’ve had more than 1000 comments on the blog in the past few days willing her to get better.”
Most ospreys live for around eight to 10 years, with many succumbing to the journey from West Africa.
At 25 Lady is one of the oldest breeding ospreys in the world.
Scottish Wildlife Trust’s chief executive Simon Milne said, “Our policy of non-intervention is quite appropriate in this instance and, while it is sad, we must let nature take its course.”
Since Lady’s appearance in 1985, established breeding pairs have increased from 50 to over 200 in Scotland.
You can follow the ospreys’ progress on the webcam and osprey blog.