Loch Arkaig web cam: It will be switched back on next month, and should be found here
Here are "All the best bits from the Loch Arkaig Pine Forest osprey camera, Summer 2017, in 2.5 minutes", from the Woodland Trust.
Here is the RSPB Forum for the 2017 Season.
2008 A pair may have started nesting at Loch Arkaig
2013 Chick White KL(09) f, hatched 2009 Loch Arkaig, Inverness seen in Senegal, 2011 & 2012, 2016 by Rutland team and Chris Wood. 2013 is the likely first breeding year at Bassenthwaite of White KL(09) and unringed male
2015 No chicks
2016 No chicks
2017 The nesting platform used by the birds for more than ten years has been rebuilt almost from scratch as, with the birds adding new material every spring, it was beginning to sag under its own weight
Unringed m 10 April named Louis m arrived. Inconclusive whether same 10-yr male, but later concensus was that he was a first-time breeder
Unringed f 30 May new unringed female accepted by Louis
4 May 2017 WT named her Aila
10 May 17.20 Egg #1 Arrives with a grunt from Aila!
22.39 Owl on the nest. Spooked Aila who flew off. A slow start but the action is here.
13 May 19.26 Egg #2 - speckled
Egg #3
18 June First chick hatched
18 June 17.13 Second chick seen struggling out of shell
22 June Two chicks alive, just.
One chick survived, and was ringed 22 or 23 July. Blue JH4(17) m, Lachlan
At 35 days old it has a body mass of 1,305g and wingspan of 291mm.
9 August Lachlan fledges unexpectedly
The Loch is home to otters (three orphans were released in the late autumn 2017) Pine marten have been seen on the nest. WTE and Osprey breed. It's about time I tried to get back there!
Where is Loch Arkaig?
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
Everything's taking such a long time without my old video editor.
That almost looked like another fish delivery but I was typing, need to investigate after getting this posted. Maybe Aila just thought it was, or maybe Louis's up to his old tricks ;)
HALF-FISH, delay in Aila leaving, LOTS of nestcupping by Louis!
IMAGICAT
She's nagging and he's been sitting in the nestcup (but is up since this snap)
Going back a bit... Aila faffed with the log-stick, then thought Louis had brought another fish - he let her think that, but he hadn't. Ended up in a stand-off with Aila nagging.
I do have a soft spot for Louis, he seems so 'hen pecked'.
Thank goodness that there has been more activity than yesterday! There is no doubt that these are Louis & Aila. Similarities with last year: Louis thinks number one priority is moss :) Aila nags for fish which eventually she gets :) I even think I saw Louis land on his favourite perch in the distance. It doesn't matter either way but I don't think that Louis was the bird on the nest either first thing today nor the one that was on the nest first thing yesterday. But who cares, this is definitely our pair. Happy days. Ian
Has anyone seen any mating? I have only found this slip-off ;-D
Scylla, there has been no mating, yet (11.35). Ian
Thanks, Ian - I thought not.
Aila brought in a sensible stick:
Louis arrived, sailing over the top of Aila with no attempt to mate:
MC. Have you slipped into daytime mode or just forgotten the time!
Birdies LG DU update.