Waiting for return of the ospreys

LADY, Britain’s oldest osprey, has returned to the Loch of Lowes in Scotland after spending the winter in West Africa.

Her safe return is a relief; big birds are easy targets for trigger-happy gunmen on both sides of the Mediterranean. There’s no sign of her mate and she’s said to have taken a lover.

If she lived in Ireland Lady would be entitled to the free travel pass; this will be her 22nd breeding season. Ospreys can live for up to 32 years, but few see their 10th birthday. She has raised almost 50 chicks.