Osprey eggs fail to hatch in UK

All three eggs laid by the UK’s oldest breeding female osprey have not hatched.

The bird returned to nest at Loch of the Lowes wildlife reserve in Perthshire in March for the 21st year in a row.

Reserve staff hoped the chicks would have hatched by late May and that the bird would become a mother for the 49th time.

Ospreys live an average of eight years and produce around 20 eggs in that time. “Lady”, however, is thought to be 26 years old and has produced 60 eggs in her lifetime.

The bird’s age and recent bad weather are thought to have contributed to the eggs perishing.

Anna Cheshier, Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Perthshire ranger, said: “We were optimistic about a successful hatching for the osprey, known by many as Lady, this year but sadly all three of the eggs have failed to hatch.

“Unfortunately it may be that her age has affected the fertility of the eggs this breeding season. We have also had terrible weather at the reserve, which inevitably puts the eggs at greater risk.

“We haven’t written off our amazing osprey being a mother again just yet, as we hope to have more chicks hatching during the breeding season in 2012 and believe with Lady anything is possible.”

The reserve had planned to tag any newborn chicks and collect data about their migration habits. The money raised for the project will now be used for any chicks hatched next year.

Once a common sight in Britain, the osprey was persecuted and hunted to near-extinction by 1916.

Conservation efforts are trying to re-establish the species in Scotland. Today, 200 pairs of osprey breed in Scotland during summer months.