Despite arriving fashionably late, an honoured guest was welcomed to Loch of the Lowes with Champagne and cheering.
After keeping staff and volunteers waiting anxiously for days, a chick finally hatched at the Perthshire reserve on Saturday morning.
Showing there’s plenty of life in the old bird yet, record-breaking osprey Lady welcomed her first chick of 2013 into the world just after 10am.
Eagle-eyed observers were left stunned when they spotted a tiny hole appearing in one of the eggs at around 8.45am. Although most hatchings can take up to 12 hours, the new arrival was clearly keen to make its debut and was free of the shell by 10am.
Scottish Wildlife Trust ranger Emma Rawling said: “We think this is probably egg number three hatching on time, rather than egg number two being late.
“The eggs are so hard to tell apart, however, that we will have to wait and see if any of the others hatch to be sure.
“The chick has already been fed by its mother and enjoyed tiny amounts of shredded raw fish. It looks strong and healthy, with the instinct to reach up for food just as it should be.
“We hope it might be joined in time by another sibling but for now we are simply overjoyed with one healthy youngster on the nest.”
There had been fears that the eggs would not hatch as the male osprey neglected his fatherly duties at least twice. He left the nest unattended for almost two hours in total, putting the embryos at risk as they require a steady temperature to incubate successfully.
But his inexperience has not scuppered his 28-year-old mate’s chances of fledging her 50th chick. Over the next few weeks, all eyes will be on Loch of the Lowes to see if the young osprey survives and thrives.
Despite her advancing years and a brush with death in 2010, Lady the UK’s oldest breeding osprey returned to the Dunkeld reserve in March for a 23rd year.
Photo by Phil Hannah