I thought this warranted its own post. For a long time there was concern that Laddie LM12, the male at Loch of the Lowes and mate of Blue NC0, had been shot. This caused great worry through the local community and beyond to everyone who loved this bird. The post mortem results are in and Laddie died of Natural Causes.
Laddie fathered 21 chicks at the Loch of the Lowes Nest. His last five breeding seasons were with Blue NC0; they raised 7 chicks to fledge.
I went to the UK as a Commonwealth Scholar in 1990 and received my PhD from the University of Leicester in 1993. After three decades of university teaching, I retired to devote my time to the study of raptor behaviour. I am particularly interested in Ospreys and am working on a long term project on third hatch survival and siblicide in these raptors. My blog is a result of a fascination with my local wildlife and the desire to encourage others to love and care for birds! I live on the Canadian Prairies and prior to the pandemic travelled a lot. I am questioning the use of aviation fuel at the moment as we all strive to help our planet. My early research was in politics and art including British public statues exported to Southeast Asia and Vietnam Resistors that contributed much to Canadian ceramics. Books and articles were published on those subjects over a period of 3 decades. Now I am working on books for children so they can learn about the challenges our raptors face.
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Oh Mary Ann it’s so sad about Laddie but as sad as it is it’s better know that Laddie died of natural causes and not been shot. Thank you for this update on a precious Osprey that we all loved very much. May he Rest in Peace. ❤️🙏🏻
Your post is both informative and interesting; I appreciate it. Your writing approach simplifies otherwise difficult subjects. Thank you for taking the time to provide such detailed information. For anyone interested in this topic, this is an excellent resource.
Oh Mary Ann it’s so sad about Laddie but as sad as it is it’s better know that Laddie died of natural causes and not been shot. Thank you for this update on a precious Osprey that we all loved very much. May he Rest in Peace. ❤️🙏🏻
Yes, it certainly is. I am relieved. The thought of people going out and killing animals for fun – well, it is sickening.
I too am glad the cause of death was natural and not gun shot. Still very sad…
Such a relief, Betty. The idea that someone would shoot an innocent bird is beyond me. I know they do it, but I am so glad it wasn’t this time.
Your post is both informative and interesting; I appreciate it. Your writing approach simplifies otherwise difficult subjects. Thank you for taking the time to provide such detailed information. For anyone interested in this topic, this is an excellent resource.
Oh, thank you so much for reaching out. I am so sorry to be so late in responding. I am so happy that you are finding something of value!