Very sad news

[duffsdad]

The grand old lady of the loch is dying , since early yesterday morning the female osprey at the loch of the lowes near Dunkeld has been unable to move or care for her chicks and by the look of her has'nt long to go . Dad has been great by bringing lots of fish to the nest and feeding the young and hopefull he can keep this up for a week or so until they can feed themselves . This old girl is in her 20th year of breeding at the loch and has been a very successful parent , I have had the great pleasure of seeing her many times at the visitor centre there and was there only 2 weeks ago . My thoughts are with the dedicated team of workers and volunteers from the SWT who have looked after her over the years night and day to protect her from the morons who collect eggs . Here is a link to the webcam and blog
Webcams - Scottish Wildlife Trust

[Cowgirl]

aaww poor old lady, went & had a look & looks like she's gone, she did well to breed for 20 years. So sad, but at least the father is continuing to feed the chicks.

[Littlesparrow]

That is sad. Will her partner find a new mate next year or do they only have one mate for life?

[whaleomeloette]

thats so sad, i hope the father does a good job and they survive, it would the awful if the chicks died as well as the mother

[Za]

What a shame, I am looking at the webcam now, the male is feeding the two young, thats the second time in the last hour or so he has brought a fish so hopefully they will be OK. They certainly look healthy and lively at the moment, gulping down the chunks of fish.

[rlchew]

Very sad indeed .... I also saw the SWT blog post today updating on this.

Osprey blog

I visited the Loch of the Lowes in the first week of June (as I have done for several years running) and both parent Ospreys seemed fine. I guess old age has finally crept up on her but what a contribution Mrs Osprey has made over the last 20 years to Osprey producitvity in the Highlands.

Let's hope Mr Opsrey can double his responsibilities and ensure that the chicks make it to fledging and their trip south.

Richard

[duffsdad]

Dad has fed the chicks several times today and is doing a fantastic job so far and hopefully he can keep it going over the next few days , mum is still hanging in there but I fear it's only a matter of time .

[whaleomeloette]

what is that at the front on the webcam? looks like a feathry thing but tstill
its not the mum dead is it
edit:
just moved! its the mother

[BloomingMarvellous]

The Blog Say's that the dead bird will be taken out, to give the Chicks a better chance. Has this sort of scenario been recorded before?

Thanks for the link.

[Za]

With Ospreys being so rare, I would have thought it might be worth taking her to a vet to try and save her rather than just have her lying there waiting to die and then remove the body, but I suppose they must have good reason to not do this, seems a shame though.
Za