Superstar osprey lays her 59th egg

The UK's oldest breeding female osprey has laid her first egg for this year, Scottish Wildlife Trust said yesterday.

The news has raised hopes that the bird, now 26 years old, could produce her 49th chick this breeding season.

The osprey laid the egg - her 59th - after coming back for the 21st consecutive year to the Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve last month, to the delight of conservationists watching for her return from spending the winter in Africa.

The nest is now subject to a round-the-clock stakeout to keep the osprey and her mate and egg safe from wildlife criminals.

Anna Cheshier, Scottish Wildlife Trust's Perthshire ranger, said: "To see eggs on the nest again is simply remarkable. Ospreys live an average of eight years and produce 20 eggs in that time. Producing 59 eggs over 21 consecutive breeding years makes her an incredible specimen of the bird world."