Scotland’s most famous bird of prey has come back from the brink of death in a bid protect her two young chicks.
Around 100,000 wildlife lovers across the globe watched with bated breath over the weekend as Lady the osprey lay motionless in her nest at Loch of the Lowes Nature Reserve, near Dunkeld.
Experts feared she might not make it when she continually refused the food brought back by her mate.
But the plucky 25-year-old, who has played a huge part in the recovery of Scotland’s osprey population, has rallied her strength.
She amazed thousands of webcam viewers late on Monday night by taking flight to drink a few sips from the water below something rarely seen in the UK before tucking into some freshly caught trout.
Her ageing body remains thin and her eyes sunken but she continues to eat and communicate with her offspring.
Staff at Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre have been keeping a constant vigil to monitor Lady’s progress and are updating a blog for her many fans.
Manager Peter Ferns said he had been “utterly astonished” when the veteran sea hawk spread her wings for the first time in nearly a week but warned she is not yet “out of the woods.”
“What a difference a day makes, I am overjoyed,” he said on Tuesday night. “On Monday morning I really though she only had a few hours left, but she has made a miraculous recovery.
“When I saw her fly off the edge of the nest I was beyond words and was worried she might not get back up but she did…and then she started eating.
“I’ve been working here for more than 17 years and I have never seen anything like this.
“I remember seeing Lady stoically sitting on her eggs in sub-seven temperatures, covered in snow, a few years ago and thought she was amazing. She is a real fighter.
“I think instinct has kicked in despite her old age she wants to keep her babies safe.”
Peter thanked Lady’s supporters from across the world for their “unwavering” support.
Since Saturday more than 100,000 people have logged in to the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Osprey Watch website five times more than usual.
Some contributors to the blog have even suggested that Lady’s life should be made into a film.
Jane Macpherson from Novia Scotia, Canada, posted, “How amazing nature is and the willpower to survive. I’ve always believed these birds were magnificent but not to this extent…it is unbelievable and just blows me away.”
Annette from South California posted, “It’s just past 5am here in California and I was tossing and turning, unable to get back to sleep, so what else was there to do but check on our world famous osprey?”
Peter continued, “Lady is our main attraction so we knew her decline would be publicised, but we never dreamed the response would be so huge.
“The webcam went down at one point due to the amount of online traffic.”
You can follow the ospreys’ progress on the webcam and osprey blog.