LOCH ARKAIG (c)The Woodland Trust - MAY 2019

Serene at this moment ;)

  • I thought I saw Louis fly past the front of the nest at approx 10.27 when Aila & the intruder were on the nest, so he must have been aware of what was going on. That suggests a female intruder, it looks like a female to me anyway. Ian
  • SheenaR1280103212 said:

    Morning, is this not same intruder that was around before eggs were layed?

    Hi Sheena, I think the previous one started LA, can't remember the third character. Ian

  • Here is the whole of the intruder episode - Aila's initial fly-off, some flybys (I could easily have missed some), then LH5 lands - a very unaggressive meeting of the two females, considering, but Aila drove her off in the end, and then took some time settling down.

    The first flyer-by might have been Aila, with no obvious blue Darvic, unless it was bleached out:

    I thought I'd get a nice shot of furious Aila but she turned into a chalky painting:

    Louis came and gave Aila a short break, she had to work hard to get him off again, keeping watch at the same time:

    It's been peaceful since.

  • Scylla, a whole fish was delivered at 11.00. Ian
  • IAN prodded:

    Scylla, a whole fish was delivered at 11.00.

    Thank you, IAN - I must have jiggled right thru it !!!

    She was gone less than 20 minutes, surely she couldn't have eaten it all in that time?!

  • Super updates on Aila and Louis, Scylla. Many thanks.
    I wonder who LH5 is. LH0 and LH1 were Clarach's chicks from 2017. Could be another Aberfoyle nest, or at least ringed by the same person.
  • Thanks so much, Scylla. Thought it interesting just how non-aggressive this visit was but Aila clearly thought LH5 had outstayed her brief welcome and it was great to see the wing display. We don't really know where Aila hatched so perhaps (fanciful of me, I know....) they're related somehow! Truly marvelous video and screen captures! Not sure the owl would be tolerated this way!
  • After the intrusion, Louis flew in and stood by Aila, mostly preening, for 8 minutes.

    Aila had a quick flyabout:

    Half a FISH:

    Aila was gone a long time!  Good job Louis likes egg-sitting ;)

    Wherever are you?!

    She's on her way!

    Louis turned up with a small stick - I was hoping it was a fish because I speculate that Aila didn't eat all the first one and the second was probably less than half.  Anyway, Aila needed no encouragement to leave and let him take over.

    If you're wondering why this shot - it's for the sake of the stick, which was mainly transparent ;)

    Oops!  But Louis removed it:

    Again Louis anticipated Aila's return:

    The first disturbance I found was well after midnight, when the Tawny buzzed by in a flash - Aila was very brave:

    Stick blew off but didn't bother Aila:

    A couple more scares:

    Bad buffering in the early hours, some lasting several minutes.

    (These snaps artificially enhanced due to wanness of morning cam.)

    Intruder?

    Louis floated down from who-knows-where, he also looked up:

    He wasn't calling as he flew off:

    Au naturel now:

    Head up, very alert:

    Doing her best but she's tired!

    That's where we are now, folks!