LOCH ARKAIG (The Woodland Trust) - AUGUST 2019

Link to July 2019 thread 

The 2 chicks were ringed on 4 July and assessed as female. They were given ring numbers JJ0 and JJ2, and later named by popular vote as Mallie and Rannoch. Both weighed 1.49kg on ringing but will weigh a lot more now after a further month's-worth of protein-packed-piscine-parenting.  The WT subsequently said they thought Mallie may be male. S/he fledged on 20 July and Rannoch on 27 July.

Link to webcam, courtesy of The Woodland Trust

  • Up to 14.00 today, It looks like there has only been one fish delivery. This was at 12.15, a nice whole fish which Mallie (as the only juvenile on the nest) took without any fuss. Louis managed to make the delivery & depart unscathed. Prior to that the youngsters had shared the two fish parts which were lying from Monday, Rannoch being first on the nest got the larger chunk. Ian

  • Ian S said:
    Ian

    14:10hr - Oh there you are !!! :)  Good to see you back :)

    I'm doing catchup but dilly-dallying so you gazumped me.

    Mallie finished first, did some flap-prancng and flew, Rannoch left not long after:

    Fishes left on nest:

    No further visits before nightcam:

    It rained a lot overnight:

    Rannoch was first in and claimed Mallie's bigger leftover:

    Surely Mallie must be a boy:

    S/he had to make do with Rannoch's leftover:

    Mallie flew with fish:

    Then Rannoch:

    But she returned to eat on the nest:

    Mallie came and wanted some but Rannoch ate the lot and they were both gone by 06:09:

    A juvie zipped on 'n off the nest, shortly followed by an LBJ which I'm sure you can ID, then by a Robin.  I put the liddle birds on FF and that was bad judgement but I didn't feel I had time to edit... but it would have been quicker in the end :-/

    The LBJ found a morsel and flew off with it, then back to perch (if it's the same bird!):

    The Robin also found something to eat:

    Next, Great Tits - seein' as I'm not honouring them with a video, here's a framed snap:

    Rannoch for a 2-3 minutes:

    Rannoch returned @ 10:31 and was joined by unwelcome sibling:

    They both left then Mallie returned and ended up defending in a cowardly pose, no-one else seen:

    She flew:

    At last !!!  Only Mallie came for it:

    Super FISH !!!

    Mallie ate the head and flew with her fish:

    That's it up to 15:42.

    There'll be trouble if Mallie gets the next fish :o :o :o

  • Screamer on the nest - FISH !!! And it's AILA !!!
  • scylla said:
    Screamer on the nest - FISH !!! And it's AILA !!!

    Only half a fish, no decent view of it.

    Mallie has only just (17:05) stopped screaming, having made no start on eating her fish.  Screaming resumed sporadically.

    Louis with FISH !!!  And I do believe it's Mallie who's got it again, s/he seemed to fly in with the previous one in talons but that was from a sidelong glance, shall now replay.

  • Mallie flew with her fish, but returned with it at 17.15 because Louis was bringing in another one. It looks like Mallie grabbed the new one and discarded the old, she is now on the nest with two fish to keep her going. Hopefully Rannoch will get one of them. Ian

    EDIT - 17.26, Mallie flies with one fish, leaving the other on the nest.

  • Mallie flew off with the half-fish @ 17:12:

    Three minutes later Mallie was back, still clutching Aila's piece of fish:

    I've lost track of which piece was left on the nest when Mallie eventually flew:

    At last Rannoch showed up, quite pleased to see half a fish waiting, she's eating it now:

  • Rannoch ate the fish to the tail:

    And some scraps:

    She created  and then flew:

    With a flyby right after:

    No-one seen since.

  • Rannoch came back @ 19:00 and is still waiting.

    I'm off for a while.
  • Waiting, waiting....

    (c) WT Loch Arkaig

  • Rannoch was on and off, mostly on, waiting and calling vainly:

    Until...

    No-one seen since.