Granny osprey flies back to Scotland from Africa for record 21st time

[Judi Lynn]

Granny osprey flies back to Scotland from Africa for record 21st time
Lady, oldest osprey in the UK, is preparing to mate in Dunkeld, Scotland, after travelling thousands of miles from the Gambia
Severin Carrell , Scotland correspondent guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 29 March 2011 21.14 BST

http://static.guim.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2011/3/29/1301420319945/Lady-female-osprey-flying-007.jpg

Lady, believed to be the oldest osprey in the world and mother to 48 birds, nesting
in the Highlands. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters

One of the world's oldest ospreys, which has already laid 58 eggs and seen 48 chicks leave her nest, has returned to her roost in the Highlands, breaking her own record for longevity.

The osprey known as Lady, pictured on Tuesday, landed back in her eyrie at a wildlife reserve near Dunkeld on Monday after completing her 21st migration, ending a round trip of roughly 6,000 miles to and from her winter home in west Africa. And despite living three times as long as most breeding females, the 26-year-old bird of prey is again by her nest – now grown to the size of a double bed – preparing for her mate.

She is already a global celebrity after a crisis last June when she nearly died from dehydration and starvation after she failed to feed for several days. Tens of thousands of birdwatchers from around the world saw live pictures from the "nest cam" at the Loch of the Lowes reserve which showed Lady weak and listless. She survived and flew off for her 3,000-mile flight to the Gambia; staff at the Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve suspected it would be her last.

Robert Potter, the trust's regional manager, was delighted when her identity was confirmed on Monday by expert ornithologists, thanks to a close-up of one of her eyes, which has a distinctive keyhole shape on its iris. "It's fantastic. It just shows what an amazing bird she is, to make that journey at this age," he said. "She's looking very healthy and is going about her business of tidying up her nest and getting everything ready

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/mar/29/osprey-scotland-record-21st-time

[dipsydoodle]

1. Ospreys are special

and anyone who steals their eggs deserves to be mullered bigtime.

[Tesha]

2. I wonder if our local Osprey couple have returned yet?

We watched them much of last spring as they (apparently
successfully) raised at least a pair of chicks.

Tesha

[underseasurveyor]

3. Our resident Ospreys have been preparing themselves and their nest

for this years chicks.

Last year one of their offspring moved to Irvine, I think it was.

We see and hear the resident Newport Bay pair everyday :-)
Truly magnificent birds.

[NV Whino]

4. Our local ospreys are back

Harbingers of spring.

[xchrom]

5. How Grand! Bless you Lady - long may you reign. Nt

[jberryhill]

6. So THAT'S how the coconuts get to Britain