ORGANISERS of the T in the Park music festival face having to redraw their plans for this year's rock concert to accommodate a pair of nesting ospreys.
The birds of prey sparked a row between conservationists at RSPB Scotland and promoters DF Concerts when they swooped into the festival's new home at Strathallan Castle, Perthshire.
Now the raptors' presence may force a rethink over where there main stage, due to host acts such as Noel Gallacher, Kasabian and The Libertines, is to be placed after its proposed location was deemed to be too close to the bird's old nest.
Bosses at DF Concerts face an anxious wait to see whether the birds of prey decide to set up home in their previous spot or take wing to a new nest, but have abandoned attempts to encourage them to take find a different site and have said they will let nature take its course.
A cherry-picker bedecked with a balloon and a flag had previously been erected as a makeshift scarecrow in a bid to forestall the ospreys nesting too close to the stage, but this has now been removed.
Campaigners Strathallan T Action Group (STAG), who are opposed to the festival going ahead at the new site, complained to the RSPB after spotting the cherry picker near the ospreys nest.
Staff from the RSPB and an ornithologist employed by DF Concerts visited the site yesterday to check on the birds' welfare after videos produced by STAG were circulated that appeared to show the birds nesting in woods near the festival site.
A spokesman for RSPB Scotland said: "DF Concerts have accepted our position that the old osprey nest has now become active and have withdrawn the cherry picker.
"This old nest is closer to the T in the Park event arena and the risk of disturbance to the birds is therefore higher.
"If the birds do settle and nest here it doesn't necessarily preclude T in the Park happening, but it does make it much more challenging to accommodate without risk of causing a disturbance to the birds."
He added: "Whether the festival will go ahead is yet to be determined, and it is still the subject of a live planning application. However, RSPB Scotland will continue to work with all parties to see if any contingencies might be available to allow the event to proceed and for the birds to be given the required space and freedom they require so they will enjoy a successful breeding season."
Perth and Kinross Council is due to make its final decision over planning permission for the site in May.
The festival has had to relocate from its old home at Balado, Kinross, amid concerns over an underground oil pipe.
A spokeswoman for DF Concerts said: "We can confirm that Osprey have returned to Strathallan but the expert opinion of our ornithologist is that they have not yet nested. The RSPB believes that the previous nest is active and as such, close monitoring via the cherrypicker has been removed and we will continue to liaise with the relevant organisations to ensure the protection of the birds.
"We will also provide an update when the chosen location of the birds becomes clear.
"In the meantime, we'd also like to assure fans that the festival will go ahead. The decision on our planning application will still be made in May and we remain confident that the event will take place at Strathallan."
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