LOCH ARKAIG - AUGUST 2020 TO MARCH 2021. Highlights are Mary GK's and Geemeff's wonderful videos of the 2020 season

Sheila "When was Aila last seen?"
She made a fish delivery at 16.41 on 9 August (see page 20 of this thread), that is the last time I saw her but she may have been about since. Ian

Morning!  JJ6 snuck up on Louis and stole the fish.  Louis flew off.  JJ7 returned to his fish.

Louis flew off

Both settle with a fish each, and a spare.  They are both more or less quiet now

© The Woodland Trust Loch Arkaig OP

Many thanks Ian. Oh dear, but I can't be too sad when she and Louis raised three such beautiful off spring.

Question re 2018 - anyone remember when Aila was last seen?

Geemeff:   They were still around on 20 August, but I don't have a note of their departure dates.

Thanks again, Ian.  It would be excellent if Mary were to add their departure dates to her first post on this thread - for posterity and for those of us (me) who easily forgets!

Geemeff said:

Question re 2018 - anyone remember when Aila was last seen?

I don't remember.

I think 2018 was the year a lightning strike caused the camera to fail so that would be a factor in whether a date of departure was established. I do seem to recall probably based on posts from LizB it was quite early (whatever early is). In anycase the absence of any chicks might have screwed up the timetable and I suppose may not make 2018 a useful guide.

Geemeff, please feel free to think this amswer is no use at all!! Ian

EDIT - one of the threads from earlier this year may include links to threads from previous years. Using the search box above, you could look for either the last thread from 2018 or the first thread from 2019 (which would include a link to 2018) or the first tthread of this year which may contain a link to 2018. One of the great things about the RSPB threads is that there is a full history. I don't find the logic of the search box to be brilliant but with some effort & patience you should be able to find the last 2018 thread.

Geemeff

Trying to provide a more useful answer, the link below is the 2018 thread, have a rummage about in it. Ian

community.rspb.org.uk/.../1174039

EDIT - I Ihave had a wee nosey at the 2018  thread. It was the lightning strike year, LoizB saw both Louis & Aila on 17 August and the last reported sighting of any bird was 2 September.

EDIT 1 - Look at page one of the 2018 thread, Sheila gives an excellent overview of the area and a link to the 2017 thread (if you want some Winter reading!).

LOL Ian, you posted while I was being creative!

George Anderson posted on FB on 27 July 2018:  George Anderson shared a link.

LOCH ARKAIG CAMERA NEWS!

We have concluded that it is not going to be possible to return the live feed again this season. Camera assessment and availability of technician to refit it will take weeks and we don't think it is a practical proposion given our birds could depart sometime in August.

However, the good news is that we hope to bring you some further footage of Louis and Aila before they leave. Lewis has been up the tree and fitted one of our motion-sensor trail cameras. We will retrieve the camera and hopefully extract some nice footage of our pair at some point next month. We have used trail cameras to get footage of ospreys in this nest before. It was footage Lewis secured this way in 2016 which prompted us to launch the live feed last year. Some of you may remember there were two older birds which were no longer breeding but appeared on the nest. They appear at the end of this little compilation.

17 August 2018  Mike reported on a post from Liz Bracken posted 19 hours earlier

12midday I was just watching an osprey sitting in one of the favourite perches behind the nest, when it flew off and seemed to have a fish in it's talons. It flew up quite high and started displaying, so must be Louis, and then a few minutes later another osprey appeared well below him and flew over above where I was standing. He followed her making that lovely call they do when they're skydancing! They disappeared into the clouds but he could still be heard calling. So it would seem they're both still about................."

8 September 2018  Ian wrote

There haven't been any reported sightings since 02 September, I think we can call the 2018 season at LA well & truly over.

Today, 10 August 2020, George Anderson has just posted the following - The links are his, so they may not work on here,  I'll check later, but towards the foot are resumes of past seasons.

JJ7 had left with his fish, JJ8 had arrived on the nest, JJ6 had left with his fish. JJ8 ignored the fish that is on the nest and flew empty taloned. 12.16.47, an RAF fighter jet flew very fast from left to right. Ian