First osprey chick's global debut

A still taken from the webcam before the egg hatched

Scotland's first osprey chick of 2004 has successfully hatched at the Loch of the Lowes wildlife reserve.

The bird's first appearance was beamed live round the world via a webcam at the reserve near Dunkeld.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust expects the second and third eggs in the nest to hatch within the next five days.

Meanwhile, an osprey believed to be on its way back to Scotland to breed is being cared for in Nottinghamshire after being shot and injured.

Police are trying to establish the type of weapon used to shoot the bird.

At the Loch of the Lowes, 70 volunteers and six staff have been keeping a round-the-clock watch on the nest for the past 38 days to guard the eggs.

'Lively nursery'

Uwe Stoneman, the trust's conservation manager for Perth and Kinross, said now was a good time for people to visit the reserve.

"The nest, which has been rather quiet during the incubation period, will soon turn into a lively nursery," he predicted.

"Our new crannog-like hide puts visitors in front-row seats from where they can watch all the action."

This year is the 50th anniversary of the ospreys' return from extinction in Scotland.

There are now 160 breeding pairs, about 50 of them in Perthshire.

Some 30,000 people visit the Loch of the Lowes each season to watch wildlife on the reserve.