LOCH ARKAIG - The Woodland Trust - May 2020

11.06, Aila is on the nest, an osprey (maybe Louis, maybe not) is approaching the nest but wheels away calling & Aila leaves the nest to chase something. 11.07.25, Louis perches on top of the "stick" tree (historically his favoured perch), the one in front of the nest at the far end that Mary mentioned a couple of times last week. Aila returns at 11.08, closely followed by Louis (who must have been watching from his perch on the tree) with a headless fish. Louis can be seen leaving the perch at 11.08.25 & someone very diligent on WT chat has timed his flight from the perch to nest as 11 seconds. WT chat reckon the original bird that wheeled away was Louis as slo-mo shows a fish in the approaching birds talons (I have looked but can't see the fish, but that probably says as much about my eyesight as anything). They are both alert, Aila shows no interest in the fish, and she flies off at 11.10 (to give chase to something?). Louis left alone on the nest does the only thing any self-respecting bloke would do, he has some more of the fish :) At 11.13, he does however drop the fish on the nest and settles on the eggs. Aila comes back and takes the fish (in her talons) at 11.14. At 11.31, Aila returns with the remains of the fish but polishes it off whilst on the nest as Louis continues on the eggs. Aila has a good old feak of her beak before flying off in a leisurely manner at 11.35. Aila comes back at 12.09 with (I think) some bark. Louis leaves and Aila takes over incubation. Ian

Well that vivid, detailed post is going to save me a lot of work, IAN!  No need for anything more

I'm about to embark on last evening, and am so behind and have software learning to do so I'll be sketchy.

Aila was very alert all night but I didn't see any intrusions - apart from this on the cam lens, which looked a bit alarming in FF but turned out to be "nothing":

Breakfish:

40+ minutes later she brought back a small piece of bark:

Hoodie alert!  Louis flew in from his tree to deal with it:

I wonder who/what this was?  "Flew" out of right side and Aila flew in the same direction seconds later:

08:39 - Another piece of bark on top of the previous:

09:27 - squiggly stick, then Louis took over - but not for long, and SHEILA has covered Aila's re-take-over :)

I hope Louis's fish is showing up here:

Aila saw the fish but spurned it, for the time being:

She returned and took the fish several minutes later:

She brought back the tail and ate it on the nest for me ;)

Later, yet another piece of bark:

Louis flew in to defend (Aila had seen someone but I didn't), stayed nearly 20 minutes:

This!

Was for the sake of this, which will probably blow away soon ;)

Louis is currently incubating, I think... but Aila has flown by and is on her way back... ???  Oh well, no-one's arrived so don't know who it was.

16.42, Louis brings in a very nice stick, the only problem is that within a minute or two it looks to me like he has dropped it over the back (nearest the camera) of the nest. He gives a quizzical look & I imagine him thinking "oh well, some you win, some you lose". Ian

Aila was keeping an eye in the area to the right and behind the nest, looking very pretty. 

She must have seen Louis, who arrived with a stick

Causes a spot of havoc!

and flies off

© The Woodland Trust Loch Arkaig OP