Loch Arkaig Ospreys - 2018

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/

  • For anyone interested, there is a Q&A session with Lewis Pate of the WT tomorrow. I think Lewis is responsible for Loch Arkaig. Details are on the WT chat page. Ian

  • Ian S said:

    There was a fish delivery at 10.25, which I didn't see. Scrolling back on YT I found it at about 11.30, presumably as a result of the problems the cam is having as noted above. I don't know how that impacts on anyone recording. Ian

    The camera seems to be OK now. I checked the fish delivery again on scroll back. Instead of being 30 minutes back from 11.58, it was 38 minutes back from 12.25. I am guessing that this is as a result of the buffering. Ian

  • At around 14.45 I heard a short burst of skydancing.  I had two cams open at the time!  Louis and Aila landed on the nest, clearly agitated by an intruder

    It was Louis who was mantling, confirming my thoughts of skydancing, and a male.  Aila just looked on!

    I was distracted by other things, and when I returned I found Louis eating a fish.  What I had completely missed was that he had a fish in his talons when he landed.  Aila was food soliciting

    Then at about 15.00  they were both looking around again, Louis still had a fish in his talons, but was watching for the intruder

    32 minutes ago a wee bird is head, and they both look around!  Louis ruffled his feathers and took off with the fish!!  Aila called!  He hasn't learned his lesson from last year!  She moved a stick or two, and around 15.20 she took off

    Times all approx!

    © The Woodland Trust Loch Arkaig OP

    Birdie's DU Summaries 2018   https://www.imagicat.com/

  • To be fair to him Sheila, she did get a tasty (I think whole) fish this morning, the one he has had this afternoon looks a bit scrawny! There have also been numerous matings, some successful, some definitely not! Ian

  • I gave him credit earlier, but none is coming his way at the moment. He arrived with a (live) fish to an empty nest. When Aila came back shortly after, he then pretty quickly flew off with the fish. Ian

  • He still doesn't seem too keen on sharing does he? Oh Louis Louis Louis. Also I dare say he needs to stop going through the motions and pay attention to what he is doing lol (he is not going to fertilize any eggs if he keeps climbing on her neck)  This pair does make me laugh though :)

    Love To Live & Live To Love
  • Ian S said:

    I gave him credit earlier, but none is coming his way at the moment. He arrived with a (live) fish to an empty nest. When Aila came back shortly after, he then pretty quickly flew off with the fish. Ian

    He has redeemed himself, he returned with the fish which Aila has now flown off with. Ian

  • Thanks, All, for the pics and posts.  Mysteriously, this thread has dropped out of my notifications--again!  Does that happen to anyone else?

    Kind regards, Ann