Osprey watchers have been flocking to the Loch of the Lowes nature reserve near Dunkeld to see its “miracle bird” make a stunning recovery.
Though it may take some time before Scotland’s most famous bird of prey is fighting fit, staff at the reserve are hopeful she will continue to improve.
Wildlife fanatics were dismayed when it looked like 25-year-old Lady would not survive being struck down by a mystery bug, which caused her to lose a startling amount of weight.
Little over a week later, however, she is regaining her strength as the world looks on, both in person or as one of the 100,000-plus who are following her progress via a webcam trained on her nest.
Lady has produced an amazing 48 chicks in her 20 years at the reserve during her long life, playing a huge part in the recovery of Scotland’s osprey population.
And although she still appears thin, reserve staff believe she is returning to her old self and could yet be strong enough to make her annual migration at the end of the summer.
After a slight reduction in visitor numbers when the illness was announced some twitchers were too distressed by the thought of seeing Lady decline her recovery has brought them to the reserve in their hundreds.
Perthshire ranger Emma Rawling believes wildlife fans should take the chance now to see one of the country’s most famous feathered residents.
“We are encouraging people to come and see her now as this may yet be her last year,” she said.
“She is doing brilliantly and there is no sign of a relapse but she’s also not completely back to normal and it will take a lot longer for her to regain the weight than it took for her to lose it.
“Crunch time will be August when she is due for her migration.
“We will have to wait and see whether she has recovered enough and is strong enough for this.”
More than 100,000 people have been viewing Lady’s progress on the reserve’s webcam, while around 700 to 1000 people have been posting messages on its blog siteeach day.
A new Facebook page has also been launched, due to popular demand, to complement the blog.
Meanwhile, Lady’s chicks are progressing well and Emma expects to see them make their first attempts at flight very soon.
“Our chicks are now just over five weeks old, and as many of you have observed, starting to look like proper wee ospreys, not babies any more.
“This week we should also see the chicks starting to stretch their wings more and begin the process of developing their flight muscles by flapping,” she said.