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/
A comment from Jess Tomes, LGVC, on the LG Daily Update 11 May 2018 is relevent here. I tried to copy and paste it in, but it disappears when posted.
Morning everyone,
Another reminder this morning that the world of wildlife watching is always a roller-coaster ride, with euphoria and wonder at one end of the scale and grief and despair at the other. What a sad day for the Loch Arkaig ospreys and just heart-breaking to watch on-line.
I'd just like to clarify where we stand with regards EJ's predicament and the suggestions that maybe her eggs could be transferred to the Loch Arkaig nest.
Firstly, though it's hard to watch, as you all know, EJ's situation is one which will be being replayed across the UK. Nests fail. Not that her nest has failed yet, but even I admit (and I'm a glass half-full kind of girl!) that it's not looking great for the Loch Garten ospreys this season. However, such is life and such is nature. That's the inherent beauty of our birds and that's why we all love them. And that's why it is such a huge privilege to be able to have our window onto their world. It is not our place to interfere on a natural process with birds that are not of conservation concern, and whilst it's regrettable if that upsets any of you, the RSPB is first and foremost a nature conservation charity and we provide the conditions for nature to thrive in our network of nature reserves. Our nature reserves are not country parks and the Loch Garten ospreys are not domestic animals. I know you all get this, so I'm going to leave that particular discussion there.
With regards to the Loch Arkaig ospreys - again, this is another natural process. Like them or loathe them, pine martens are part of the ecosystem and therefore the food-chain, and though it was horrifying on the one hand, it was also amazing to see that natural process at its most raw state. It was a mini-wildlife documentary, played out live across the internet. Just fascinating. And heart-breaking!
EJ's eggs will remain at the LG nest and we will be letting fate take its course. There can be no question of them being transferred to another nest - we have to let EJ's nesting attempt run its natural course, for the reasons above. It would be wrong to interfere on a natural process for a bird that isn't of conservation concern and I feel personally that it would be grossly unfair and distressing to EJ. Again, if that decision does not sit comfortably with you, that is indeed regrettable.
So, keep on keeping those fingers and toes crossed for a miracle. If no fish appear for EJ soon, we expect her to leave the nest and go and fish for herself over the next few days - we can't be sure when - it could be today, it could be tomorrow, it might be next week - we just don't know, but then as ever, that's the pull and attraction of these amazing birds. Each day brings new experiences and new emotions and no one knows where we're heading.
Thanks for watching folks - as ever, your dedication astounds me!
Jess
chocoholix said: This is George Anderson’s comment on the Woodland Trust chat page....I hope Mary Cheadle will approve of my poaching this, to post here.It definitely presents a balanced view... and I cannot fault what is said.Nature is nature,,,,and it can be raw to see at times.
This is George Anderson’s comment on the Woodland Trust chat page....I hope Mary Cheadle will approve of my poaching this, to post here.It definitely presents a balanced view... and I cannot fault what is said.Nature is nature,,,,and it can be raw to see at times.
What an excellent and thoughtful post. Thanks so much for sharing this Trying. I agree with you and George - this is nature. If these were the last 2 pairs left in Scotland, there might be a case for some kind of intervention to prevent total extinction. But that is not the case. I think we need to accept what will be, will be.
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I can see the logic in your argument entirely and have sympathy with your viewpoint.
One of the many good things about the forums is that providing people express their own opinions in a reasoned manner, then a debate about courses of action is surely healthy. It allows others to hear different viewpoints and perhaps come to a conclusion as to where they stand and may also change people's opinions when they read a differing viewpoint. I will therefore take this opportunity to say why I think Tiger's suggestion that taking the LG eggs to LA (if EJ 'abandoned them') was worthy of consideration......
I fully accept that worldwide the Osprey is a species of 'least concern'. However, in the UK it was once a common bird certainly in Scotland and probably in England. There are many authorities for this including records of it nesting in Devon until 1818 and Somerset until 1847. It was also a bird common to the Fens. To the best of my knowledge these are areas that currently have no breeding Ospreys. Although the Scottish population is healthy it is extremely slow to spread to new areas that are without Osprey nests as they prefer to nest in 'loose' colonies. A pair appears to be very reluctant to start a 'new sub-population' and will probably only be forced to try once an area has reached it 'carryIng capacity'.
There can be little doubt that the Osprey's demise in England and Scotland was due to the actions of man. I personally think that we need to therefore accept that we have 'interfered' with the British populations and that we therefore have a moral obligation to do all we can to assist in restoring it to past ranges within the UK. I fully accept that taking 3 eggs that have been abandoned and putting them in another Scottish nest where they may or may not be accepted is hardly likely by itself to tip the breeding population in this area to carrying capacity and that suddenly they may decide to breed in Somerset as a result. But I do feel that in certain circumstances, and the Osprey is certainly one of them, that we should not rule out human intervention until the species has been fully restored to its former haunts.
Some people think Ospreys are a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.
Louis is now back sitting on the nest again. Ian
Louis is still sitting there Heartbreaking
That was an interesting and logical response from Jess, SHEILA Thanks for providing the link
George Anderson has produced a blog
Trying, Thank you for recording the egg stealing as it happened. It must have been awful to watch.
Scylla, Thanks for the videos.
I wonder if Aila has never encountered Pine Martens before and so had no idea of how to deal with them. I seem to recall that fairly early on in EJ's nesting life that she had eggs stolen by Pine Martens as well. Does anyone know if the Loch Arkaig nest already has any protection meant to deter Pine Martens? Is it situated such that any defences can be added or upgraded? It sounds as though Tiger's suggestion will not be taken up but if it was and eggs were transferred then all would be in vain unless anti-Pine Marten protection could be improved/constructed. EJ's eggs may very well not survive where they are but it would be terrible if they were moved to LA and were also predated by Pine Martens.
Everyone, Thanks for all the pics, posts and videos. Not a happy situation to come upon when checking the forum for the first time today a couple of hours ago. Seeing the 'sticky' from the moderator at the top of page one, I wondered what the issue of heated disagreement was today and I was so sorry to find that it may have been the loss of 3 eggs at Loch Arkaig, certainly a tragedy for Louis and Aila (and whether or not that actually was the issue, I hope no one has been banned from the forum!). I can understand the reasoning and gut feelings behind both sides of the argument for and against intervention. However, the suggestion in the blog from the Woodland Trust (which a couple of posters had noted) that those in favour of intervention are mere animal lovers as opposed to the non-intervention group being nature conservationists is rather patronising and judgemental. Yes, Nature is Nature and we must accept it as it is and we must try to take the long view but then we also face the history of persecution and need to ask if we should be attempting to restore the balance with yet more intervention, positive this time. I have seen that it is possible to be both an animal lover and a nature conservationist and neither side has any justification in believing themselves to be superior to those holding the other view. Those adhering to both positions are doing so out of a concern for and commitment to the welfare of wildlife--we are all on the same side! This means that some will intervene at some places and times and some will not and both will face criticism. I am grateful that I do not have to make a decision about what to do at LA. There is an ancient curse 'May you live in interesting times!' and the Ospreys certainly always do just that, much as we might wish that their lives were far safer and more boring! But then, would we be so fascinated by them?! Right, I'm off my soapbox now. Over to you. (Moderators, hope I have not transgressed, if so, very sorry!)
Kind regards, Ann
According to the site Louis brought in a fish at 5 20am which Aila flew of with. He is settled on the nest.
Birdies LG DU update.
A very well thought out post,Ann
Has Aila been sitting as well? Such a sad scene
Hi Patily. I don't think Aila has been seen sitting.