THE Woodland Trust has released the first photo of three osprey chicks hatched at Loch Arkaig.
People have been able to watch a live webstream of the birds' nest since the eggs were first laid in May.
The resident breeding pair, named Louis and Aila, have been using the Highland Loch near Fort William as a nest site since 2017, spending the winter months in Africa's warmer climes.
This year the mother, Aila (which means "from the strong place" in Gaelic), has two male birds and a female in her brood.
The first photo of our three #LochArkaig osprey chicks 😍 The chicks were ringed last week by our expert and he estimated their genders to be as follows. From left to right...male, male, female.
— Woodland Trust🌳 (@WoodlandTrust) July 6, 2020
We'll also be asking for name suggestions this week, so keep an eye on our feed! pic.twitter.com/m6Pr1DsNhD
However, commenting on the Woodland Trust website, a spokesperson said: "Please note that these are best estimates of the osplets' gender. They were measured slightly earlier than is ideal for this calculation."
They added that, although they were reasonably confident about the genders, "ultimately, we won't really know for sure until they are observed nesting in years to come".
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Osprey genders can be hard to tell apart, though the females are generally larger and with a darker "necklace" of brown feathers across their chest.
In regards to names for the osplets, which the public will be asked to suggest, the spokesperson added: "We like names that reflect the area and culture of Loch Arkaig.
"Gaelic often works but isn't compulsory. Names that reflect the lockdown summer may go over well this year."
Describing the young birds, they said there is a "calm and patient male", a "feisty wee one", and a "bossy" female.
"Get naming!"
The first chick hatched on May 29. The second on June 1 and the third on June 4.
The livestream has attracted as many as 160,000 viewers, a more than 300% increase on the previous year, with the coronavirus lockdown being cited as one possible reason.
The live feed of the ospreys' nest can be found here: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/
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