May at Loch of the Lowes

lol osprey May is a glorious month for wildlife, making it a fabulous time to visit Loch of the Lowes.
Watch great crested grebes displaying their incredible courtship rituals and nest building, red squirrels bounding, nuthatches, woodpeckers and loads of woodland birds raising young and visiting our feeding station. As a keen photographer said the other day ‘I never thought I’d see so many species close up, I’m spoilt for choice!’.
This year we are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of having a visitor centre on the banks of the loch. Back in 1969, Lowes was the first wildlife reserve the Scottish Wildlife Trust purchased outright. For the first 5 years of the Trust’s existence, it carried out conservation on areas owned by others or partially owned reserves.
When Loch of the Lowes came on the market, the stunning natural beauty and diverse species on its freshwater habitat made it very special, now officially recognised as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). By taking the tree-fringed loch under its wing, the views and wildlife have not only been protected for the future by the Trust but also made accessible for the public to enjoy.
To mark the centre’s 50 year milestone, we will be having a celebration in June: look out for more details in next month.
We are delighted to have our ospreys back in residence once again. For his 11th year, our male, LM12, flew into the reserve on 13th March, the earliest return of an osprey in our 53 years of records. He was joined by his mate (since 2020) ringed NC0, and their first egg was laid on 19th April. At the time of writing, we are keeping our fingers crossed for more eggs and a successful breeding season ahead. Al going well, their chicks will be hatching towards the end of this month. We hope you come up and see them or/and watch them on the Loch of the Lowes webcam.
As always, our ospreys are given 24/7 protection by staff and a large band of volunteers. Ospreys have the highest legal protection and any interference, disturbance or damage to them or their nest (intentional or not) is a criminal action. Therefore, please note and tell friends (or your clients in B&Bs etc.) that approaching their eyrie, entering the water or any water sport is strictly prohibited and could be detrimental to the ospreys’ breeding season.
Optics Fair, Saturday 7th May 10am-4pm.
This is a great opportunity to try and buy Viking binoculars and telescopes with friendly, expert advice on hand to answer all your questions. (Remember to make sure of your 10% discount if you’re a Scottish Wildlife Trust member!) There are lots of other wildlife related gifts in our shop, from bird seed and feeders to beautiful wildlife themed greetings cards, jute bags and books.
Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre and wildlife reserve is open every day 10.30am-5pm.
Adults £4.50 Concession £4.00, Children under 16 and Scottish Wildlife Trust members - Free.

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