Mating osprey pair reunite for third year at Scots reserve

Two ospreys were reunited on Thursday and began mating within minutes of hitting the nest.

The female bird, named Lassy, touched down at 1.30pm and quickly rearranged her summer home.

Her mate, Laddy, arrived just an hour later and the pair wasted no time in ruffling some feathers at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the Lowe reserve in Perthshire.

Charlotte Fleming, Perthshire Rangers, Scottish Wildlife Trust said: “We knew it was Lassy as soon as she arrived.

“She has unmistakable features including a prominent dark brown “Y” on the top of her head and quickly set to work rearranging her nest to her satisfaction.”

Although the birds did not take long to get friendly, there was a tension at first.

Charlotte said: “Lassy was joined by her mate within an hour.

“While it was a frosty reception with lots of shouting and mantling at first, it only took a matter of minutes for them to begin to mate.”

This is the pair’s third year as a breeding pair and the trust is hopeful that the birds can repeat their success of three chicks in both 2015 and 2016.

Ospreys were extinct in the UK in the early 20th Century but there are now around 240 breeding pairs thanks to the efforts of conservation charities.