LOCH ARKAIG (c)The Woodland Trust - 04 April 2019...

The arrival of our couple, virtually together, was first snapped @ 19:12

©SANDRA !!!

©RICHARD G B


©SHEENA

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Yikes !!!  I thought I must have missed it but it's all there waiting for attention :)))

Thank you, everyone, for the super captures and info :)

I can't believe they arrived together - but they did! ;-D

Three matings altogether, only the first successful, IMHO.  They were on the nest nearly 13 minutes, this is cut down to 5 but no significant activity missing - you know how they like to stand and (males) mantle and (females) look a bit nonplussed ;)

 

UNCUT VERSION:

The first was the best ;)

He sat here for ages after his second nestcupping:

.

  • Aila landed @ 05:18, soon followed by Louis after his skydance.  Several mating attempts (he was looking very positive!), then off he goes and returns with FISH before 06:00 !!!  I should have said it was slender rather than small, and Aila had no trouble taking it.

    A goody:

    Not so good:

    The slender fish:

  • IAN I abide by your defence of Louis and reiterate our hope that the pair have a succesful season
    Aila currently on the nest shouting for lunch
  • 30 minute Scroll Back shows Louis arriving with a huge, whole fish. Flies off quickly no doubt to start on the head!.

    © THE WOODLAND TRUST, LOCH ARKAIG OSPREY PROJECT

  • This is even further back, but not from rollback - it continues the early-morning saga.

    10 minutes after flying off with her fish, Aila returned without it!  Louis got her a fresh, shiny one but she didn't take it, he flew to far tree and there was a tiny sighting of 2 ospreys flying around it.  Then the fish got passed over and Aila brought some back for Louis and she stayed on the nest for a long time - a bit of nestorisng and just standing...  I had to finish somewhere!

    There was such a panic when Louis brought the shiny new fish that I wondered if it wasn't Louis !!!  The fish is the only clearish item here ;)

  • MIKE reported:

    30 minute Scroll Back shows Louis arriving with a huge, whole fish.

    Wow!  It was huge but we couldn't get a really good view of it:

    He flew off with it, of course.

    Aila waited for more than an hour before giving up and we never saw the fish again.

    17:37 Louis flew in with a curly stick which turned transparent from this point onwards :-/

    17:43 he was back and got carried away in his enthusiasm:

    Off he flew (I'm surprised his crop wasn't weighing him down, by the way):

    He later flew back with Aila on his tail hoping for a fish but he'd only brought small footfuls of ? soil:

    He flew around for a successful mating and flew away thereafter:

    Aila also has a full crop - what did happen to that fish?  Shared off-cam?

    Surprise-surprise!  They both returned, Aila marginally first, no fish involved:

    Louis tended the nestcup and flew in and out 2-3 times insanely, endng up with a good mating:

    He flew away, shortly followed by Aila.

    That was it, phew !!!

  • Aila on the nest just after 7.00, Louis arrives with a headless fish. They are both on the nest. One takes a couple of nibbles at the fish then the other does the same & the fish is being handed back & forth, umpteen times. Aila finishes it off. Weird behaviour by both of them. Ian

    EDIT - 07.12, successful mating & Louis flies.

  • Wow, interesting footage, something I have never seen at any other nests that I have watched.

    Viewed on rewind, counted,  ( just on first cuppa so mabe not accurate) , fish was passed fifteen times

    ending with Aila finishing it off.  Unusual also to see one, never mind two, eating on nest before chicks?!

      

    This was a short tug o fish for the tail end.  I do love this pair who continue to surprise me Smiley

    PS   lol if this fish had been a whopper who knows how many cups to Tea I would have drank!!Wink

  • Approx 08.55, Louis brings in a headless fish to Aila. No pass the parcel this time as Aila takes it & flies. For Louis doubters, that is two fish in two hours :) Ian

    EDIT - and two successful mating attempts (09.35).

  • Louis has been using this tree as a perch and eating there as well. He is the dark blob on the left hand side on the branch

    © The Woodland Trust

    Richard B