Loch of the Lowes osprey egg eaten by crow

The future of the osprey population in Perthshire has been dealt a blow.

Staff and volunteers at Loch of the Lowes looked on in horror as crows swooped on the empty nest, destroying one of the eggs.

Just seconds earlier, the male osprey had been incubating the eggs but took off in pursuit of aerial predators.

Spotting the unguarded nest, one crow landed and snatched one of the eggs, piercing the shell and eating the contents.

For more on this story, see Thursday’s Courier or try our digital edition.