Dark Female on the nest after she lays her first egg

Top osprey pair are in the family way

- ALASTAIR MCNEILL

Perthshire’s Loch of the Lowes top osprey pair are now incubating an egg.

Male LM24 and female LF25 have fought off competitors for the nesting spot - at least for the time being.

The female LF25, also known as Dark Female, laid her first egg just before 2pm on Sunday May 4.

The first bird to arrive this year had been the female known as NCO, who landed on the nest on March 17.

She previously fledged seven chicks over five years at Loch of the Lowes, all with her former partner LM12, who sadly died of natural causes last year.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust, who run the Loch of the Lowes reserve, said this week that at least seven different ospreys had been contending for the popular nesting site this season.

And right up until to Sunday's crucial egg laying moments another female intruded upon the nest for several hours.

Scottish Wildlife Trust Perthshire ranger Sara Rasmussen said: "We never knew what to expect this year.

"However, we suspected there could be a battle for the territory after the tragic loss of LM12 in 2024, and that's exactly what has happened.