Loch of the Lowes is a

loch ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots language, Scots and Irish language, Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is Cognate, cognate with the Manx language, Manx lough, Cornish language, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh language, Welsh w ...

near

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The loch and the surrounding area are designated as a wildlife reserve, run by the

Scottish Wildlife Trust The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, registered charity dedicated to conserving the Natural history of Scotland, wildlife and natural environment of Scotland. Description The Scottish Wildlife Trust has well ...

. The loch is also a designated

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

(SSSI), as well as forming part of a

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

. The loch hosts a variety of wildlife, including a pair of breeding

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

s, red squirrels, otters and

beavers Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

. Wildfowl numbers peak in early winter with migrant

greylag geese The greylag goose or graylag goose (''Anser anser'') is a species of large goose in the waterfowl family Anatidae and the type species of the genus ''Anser (bird), Anser''. It has mottled and barred grey and white plumage and an orange beak and ...

roosting on the loch. In addition,

goldeneye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell, it was the first in the ser ...

mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

goosander The common merganser (North American) or goosander (Eurasian) (''Mergus merganser'') is a large seaduck of rivers and lakes in forested areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. The common merganser eats mainly fish. It nests in holes in trees. ...

wigeon The wigeons or widgeons are a group of birds, dabbling ducks currently classified in the genus ''Mareca'' along with two other species. There are three extant species of wigeon, in addition to one recently extinct species. Biology There are t ...

teal alt=American teal duck (male), Green-winged teal (male) Teal is a greenish-blue colour. Its name comes from that of a bird — the Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca'') — which presents a similarly coloured stripe on its head. The word is ofte ...

tufted duck The tufted duck or tufted pochard (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of close to one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird ment ...

s and

great crested grebe The great crested grebe (''Podiceps cristatus'') is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display. Taxonomy The great crested grebe was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in t ...

s can also be seen.

History

During the 19th century, a drainage channel was dug, connecting

Loch of Craiglush Loch of Craiglush is a freshwater loch, located around north-east of Dunkeld in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The loch is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as well as forming part of a Special Area of Conservation. Fis ...

with Lowes, causing the water levels of the two lochs to equalise. The

Lunan Burn Lunan may refer to: Geography Europe * Lunan, Angus, a hamlet in Angus, Scotland * Lunan, Lot, a commune in the Lot department in south-western France * Lunan Water, a river in Angus, Scotland * Lunan Burn, a river that flows into Loch of But ...

now flows through this channel. The reserve land was purchased by the Scottish Wildlife Trust in 1969, due to the loch being the largest mesotrophic loch in the area, and the presence of the rare pondweed

Slender Naiad ''Najas flexilis'' is an aquatic annual plant native to parts of North America and Europe. It is native to northern and central Europe from Norway to Ireland to Switzerland, and from there across Russia (including Siberia). It is also considered ...

Geography

Loch of the Lowes forms part of a chain of lochs known as the Lunan Lochs. The Lunan Lochs are Lochs Craiglush, Lowes, Butterstone,

Clunie Clunie is a small settlement in Perthshire, Scotland, west of Blairgowrie. It lies on the western shore of the Loch of Clunie. History Near the village on a small hill are the foundations of an early defensive settlement. The fortificatio ...

and

Marlee Marlee is a female given name. Notable persons with this name include: *Marlee Matlin (born 1965), American actress * Marlee Ranacher, Australian author *Marlee Scott Marlee Scott (born January 1, 1986 in Richmond Hill, Ontario) is a Canadian c ...

, and are connected by the Lunan Burn, which drains into the River Isla, itself a tributary of the

River Tay The River Tay ( gd, Tatha, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing') is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in Great Britain. The Tay originates ...

. Loch of the Lowes, along with Loch Craiglush and Loch Butterstone is situated just north of the

Highland Boundary Fault The Highland Boundary Fault is a major fault zone that traverses Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east. It separates two different geological terranes which give rise to two distinct physiographic terr ...

, and are mesotrophic lochs, and are characterised by a relatively low nutrient level, as their catchment areas are mostly acidic uplands. By comparison, Lochs Clunie and Marlee are situated south of the Highland Boundary Fault, and have a higher nutrient level. The Lunan Lochs are an example of a rare habitat in the United Kingdom, which start from nutrient-poor oligotrophic lochs further upstream; to richer, mesotrophic lochs downstream.

Wildlife

Birds

The loch and surrounding woodland host a large variety of birds. In winter,

pink-footed geese The pink-footed goose (''Anser brachyrhynchus'') is a goose which breeds in eastern Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard. It is migratory, wintering in northwest Europe, especially Ireland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and western Denmark. The na ...

s and

whooper swan The whooper swan ( /ˈhuːpə(ɹ) swɒn/) (''Cygnus cygnus''), also known as the common swan, pronounced ''hooper swan'', is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan, and the type specie ...

s can be seen on the loch, and in summer, large numbers of

swallows The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

sand martin The sand martin (''Riparia riparia''), also known as the bank swallow (in the Americas), collared sand martin, or common sand martin, is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family. It has a wide range in summer, embracing practically the w ...

s and

swifts Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIFT, ...

can be seen over the water.

Tufted duck The tufted duck or tufted pochard (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of close to one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird ment ...

and

can be seen year-round, and both goldeneye and great crested grebe can be seen performing their courtship dance in early spring. In the woodlands, there are

jays A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian m ...

treecreepers The treecreepers are a family (biology), family, Certhiidae, of small passerine Aves, birds, widespread in wooded regions of the Northern Hemisphere and sub-Saharan Africa. The family contains eleven species in two genus, genera, ''Certhia'' and ...

great spotted woodpecker The great spotted woodpecker (''Dendrocopos major'') is a medium-sized woodpecker with pied black and white plumage and a red patch on the lower belly. Males and young birds also have red markings on the neck or head. This species is found acros ...

siskins The Siskins were a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aerobatic flying team that was established in 1929 at Camp Borden, Ontario. It was the air force's first official aerobatic team. Flying three Armstrong Whitworth Siskin biplanes, the Siskins qui ...

and sparrowhawks. In the winter,

redpoll The redpolls (genus ''Acanthis'') (in Great Britain also historically known as redpoles) are a group of small passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae, which have characteristic red markings on their heads. They are placed in the genus ' ...

and

brambling The brambling (''Fringilla montifringilla'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It has also been called the cock o' the north and the mountain finch. It is widespread and migratory, often seen in very large flocks. Ta ...

s frequent the woods, and in summer, redstarts and

cuckoos Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...

can be found. Between late March to late August, there are a pair of breeding

s. Their nest is situated within 200 metres of an observation hide, allowing up-close viewing through binoculars, telescopes and

closed-circuit television Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...

(CCTV). They can also be observed via an HD camera from the Visitor Centre o
online
ref name="SWT Webcam" />

Mammals

Fallow Fallow is a farming technique in which arable land is left without sowing for one or more vegetative cycles. The goal of fallowing is to allow the land to recover and store organic matter while retaining moisture and disrupting pest life cycles ...

and

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

are often seen from the hide and sometimes

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

s can be observed.

Red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...

s are also quite numerous on the reserve. In 2012 a

beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

was spotted on the loch. Beavers were reintroduced to Scotland in 2008, after overhunting led to their disappearance several centuries before and have successfully repopulated much of the area around the Tay and its tributaries.

Fish

Pike, perch and brown trout are all present in the loch. Fishing in or on the loch is not permitted at any time of year.

Access

The loch is situated about 2 miles (3 km) north-east of

. A small unclassified road off the A923 leads to a small car park on the reserve. All paths and infrastructure are located within a western corner of the loch, however, a short woodland footpath connects the visitor centre to Dunkeld by joining a right of way across this minor road, and is suitable for walkers and mountain bikers, but is not suitable for wheelchair users. There is a cycle rack in the reserve car park, and parking for approximately 24 cars.

Visitor Centre

The Scottish Wildlife Trust operates a visitor centre on the western side of the loch. There are three observation hides offering views over the loch, and are situated close to the osprey nest. The visitor centre is one of four visitor centres operated by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the other three being at

Montrose Basin Montrose Basin is a nearly circular tidal basin which makes up part of the estuary of the River South Esk and which sits just inland of the town of Montrose in Angus on the east coast of Scotland. The basin is protected by a number of designati ...

, Falls of Clyde an
Jupiter Wildlife Centre
The visitor centre and car park are open on a reduced schedule for a third of the year during winter and an entry fee is required for non-SWT members. Opening hours: • 1 March - 31 October: open daily from 10:00-17:00 • 1 November - 28 February: open Friday-Sunday from 10:30-16:00

References

{{reflist, refs= {{citation , year = 1903 , title = Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland 1897-1909 , publisher = National Library of Scotland , url=http://maps.nls.uk/bathymetric/chart.cfm?id=2088 {{citation , title = Dunkeld - Blairgowrie Lochs , publisher = Joint Nature Conservation Committee , url=http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/sac.asp?EUcode=UK0012638 {{citation , title = Loch of the Lowes - Reserve Information , publisher = Scottish Wildlife Trust , url=http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/reserve/loch-of-the-lowes/ {{citation , title = Tayside Biodiversity Action Plan - Water - Standing Open Water , publisher = Tayside Biodiversity , url = http://www.taysidebiodiversity.co.uk/Section2_Water_WW3c.html , url-status = dead , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120515144659/http://www.taysidebiodiversity.co.uk/Section2_Water_WW3c.html , archive-date = 2012-05-15 {{citation , title = Lunan Lochs Project Natural Care Scheme , publisher = Scottish Natural Heritage , url = http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/NatCare/B54859.pdf , access-date = 4 May 2013 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304193444/http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/NatCare/B54859.pdf , archive-date = 4 March 2016 , url-status = dead {{citation , title = Loch of the Lowes Osprey Webcam , publisher = Scottish Wildlife Trust , url=http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/ {{citation , title = Osprey Lady departs from Loch of the Lowes and leaves the men to it , publisher = The Courier , year=2012 , url=http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/osprey-lady-departs-from-loch-of-the-lowes-and-leaves-the-men-to-it-1.36105 {{citation, title =Dunkeld Path Network, publisher =Perthshire Big Tree Country, url =http://www.pkc.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=11017&p=0, archive-url =https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20141209232839mp_/http://www.pkc.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id%3D1006%2526p%3D0, url-status =dead, archive-date =9 December 2014 {{citation , year = 2011 , title = Reserve Map , publisher = Scottish Wildlife Trust , url = http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/docs/027__117__maps__LOL_AccessFeatures__1300120429.pdf

External links

Scottish Wildlife Trust - ReserveScottish Wildlife Trust - Visitor Information
Nature reserves in Scotland

Lowes Lowes or similar words may refer to: Businesses * Lowe's, a big box home improvement chain * Lowes Foods, an American grocery store chain * Lowes Menswear, an Australian menswear chain * Lowe's Market, a regional supermarket chain with locatio ...

Nature centres in Scotland Protected areas of Perth and Kinross Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Scotland Conservation in the United Kingdom Special Areas of Conservation in Scotland Birdwatching sites in Scotland

LLowes Llowes is a small village in the community of Glasbury, Powys, Wales. The village has approximately 110 inhabitants (2005). The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some 3 miles (5 km) to the south-east. History St. Meilig and St. Meilig's Cross The ...