An intruder was spotted attempting to get close to a pair of nesting ospreys at a Perthshire nature reserve.

Rangers at the Loch of the Lowes reserve were alerted to someone in the exclusion zone on Monday.

Police attended quickly and intercepted the intruder.

Charlotte Fleming, Perthshire ranger said: "On Monday, we received the alert that we all hope to never hear.

"Someone was within our osprey exclusion zone and getting closer to their nest.

"This person was quickly spotted thanks to our very vigilant and observant volunteers and visitors who immediately raised the alarm.

"Unfortunately they were also spotted by our ospreys, who are not used to any human disturbance, especially at such close proximity.

"Sadly the birds were disturbed off the nest for approximately 15 minutes, leaving the eggs unattended and exposed to the cold as well as potential predators."

Staff and volunteers at the Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve near Dunkeld provide 24-hour security to the ospreys in the hope they will be able to breed successfully.

Invading the nest site is a criminal offence as ospreys are Schedule 1 birds, giving them the highest legal protection while nesting.

Ms Fleming said: "Our protocols for such an event were initiated and we would like to thank the police for their help and rapid response to the situation.

"While we are unable to disclose further details of the event we do not believe that this instance was a more sinister attempt to steal our precious eggs but instead was a case of sheer ignorance.

"This doesn't alter the fact that our birds were illegally disturbed during this incredibly important time and we are all very thankfully that no further damage was done.

"It is cases like this that highlight that human interference still poses a real threat to the breeding and long term conservation of birds such as our ospreys.

"We are not that long away from entering the potential egg hatching period, so we hope that the rest of this time passes peacefully and uneventfully to allow our ospreys to enter the next phase of hatching and rearing their new chicks."

The ospreys are a popular attraction at the reserve and birdwatchers can see their progress via webcams at the nest site.