Angus’ eyes are on a pair of history-making ospreys who have delighted the area’s twitchers with a return to the county.
In 2012, the Balgavies Loch pair hatched the district’s first recorded chick at the Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve just east of Forfar.
It was a triumph after failed attempts in previous years to mate in a nest over which they had to battle for residents’ rights with a pair of greylag geese.
The Angus breeding success was a closely-guarded secret until the chick was successfully hatched. However, with anticipation growing recently that the pair would make a return to the island nest, news of their arrival has quickly spread.
The Balgavies hide was packed with visitors eager to catch an early glimpse of the far-travelled raptors. Reserve warden Jim Hughes said: “The male arrived back on Sunday and since then has been busy repairing the nest.
He has now been followed by thefemale.
“We have positively identified the male by his ring number and are almost certain that it is the same female, so there’s a lot of interest already.
“When the male arrived, the geese were actually standing on the nest but they seem to have gone. They have been fishing and hopefully, things are looking good,” Jim added.
Even better news for the Balgavies birdwatchers is that the pair’s first chick, named Solo by locals, is doing well thousands of miles from its birthplace.
Regular transmissions have charted the tagged one-year-old’s progress and it is now in Senegal, Africa.
“Its mother was born in 2009, so it was quite early for her to be here and breeding ,” added Mr Hughes.
The return has also brought a positive spin-off for another trust facility, with the Montrose Basin a fishing haunt for ospreys.
Assistant reserve manager Craig Shepherd said: “The males will come over to the basin for fishing and you can see them taking their catch back for their families in their nests.”
Georgina Bowie, a visitor centre assistant at the basin, said: “We’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of our summer visitors and I am happy to announce that our local osprey has been spotted on its ‘usual perch’.
“Unusually, this year it has arrived before the sand martins and swallows, probably due to the bad weather we’ve been having but hopefully, they won’t be far behind.”
The Angus return followed that of famous osprey Lady’s record 23rd year at the Loch of the Lowes in Perthshire, with birdwatchers tracking her progress.