Friday morning
Weather not so good today, in fact it was awful, cold and rainy. It didn't matter though as we had planned to go to the Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre which can be enjoyed in all weathers! When we got there, there was loads of actions going on at the bird feeders, including red squirrels (one was a kit as it didn't have any ear tufts yet), siskins and baby siskins, mallards and chicks, pheasants and blue tits and chaffinches. There is a special white-headed female chaffinch, called Blondie, but unfortunately we didn't see her. She and a brown woodpecker (it's brown where it should be black) the warden explained have been recorded on the anomalies register. We saw the male osprey fly into the nest, he didn't have a fish, he was only paying a flying visit. Apparently the male will stay close by the nest when he's not out hunting for fish to keep an eye on things. Crows and herons can also be a threat to the chick when it is really small. The female also got out for a fly about to stretch her wings. The chick is really doing well. The other eggs haven't hatched, so the parents can devote all their attention to this one chick. Popped into Dunkeld (saw a buzzard on the way) for a bite to eat and then came back to the centre (your ticket covers you for the whole day) as it was pretty miserable and there wasn't much else to do in that weather. Went back to the hides and saw some deer across the other side of the loch. Also saw the great crested grebes and some chicks. Spotted a jay from the hide and also saw one on the feeders later. The woodpeckers are great - the wardens put peanut butter into holes in the trees beside the feeders and the woodpeckers enjoy pecking it out - there is a young family who have been coming to the feeders for a bit. It really is a fantastic place and the ospreys are really the jewel in the crown and top marks to the SWT for investing in the facilities which are first class.
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