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LOCH ARKAIG - THE WOODLAND TRUST - March 2023 to February 2024

Geemeff
01/03/2023 20:23

Loch Arkaig Ospreys season 7

Will Louis and Dorcha return to Nest 2?

Will someone take up residence in Nest 1?

Will any of Aila & Louis' chicks be seen (Doddie JJ6 is a good bet!)

Link to 2022 thread (season 6)

community.rspb.org.uk/.../1394415

2023 season highlights:

Louis returned on Sunday 2nd April at 12.26.54

Dorcha returned on Sunday 9th April 08.09.46

They reunited on Monday 10th April at 12.33.03

First egg laid Friday 21st April at 05.44.19

A Golden Eagle touched down on Saturday 22nd April at 11.50.56

Second egg laid Monday 24th April at 07.03.30 

Third egg laid on Thursday 27th April at 07.35.39

Violent Owl strike sends an egg overboard 23rd May at 00.26.46

First chick hatches - and it's Egg3! 31st May at 13.08

Another Owl strike - Bob's unharmed. 6th June at 00.18.16 

It's a boy! The chick is ringed LY7 on 9th July around 10am

Fledge! LY7 finds his wings and flies 19th July at 15.05.11

Hello Ludo! The voting results are in and LY7 is named Ludo! 19th July

Dorcha leaves on her travels - last seen on 17th August at 06.30.34

Louis was last seen on 24th August at 15.50.34

Ludo LY7 was last seen* on 25th August at 10.03.28  (*on the nest)

Ludo sighted in France 24th September! Still there 8th October

We wish all of them fair winds and fine fishing, and hope to see the adults safely back in 2024!

Brief history of the nests:

2016 Woodland Trust acquire the Loch Arkaig ancient rainforest remnant and manage it in partnership with Arkaig Community Forest.
2017 A nest cam is installed on a refurbished Osprey nest. A young male Louis and a young female Aila take up residence and raise one male chick to fledging: Lachlan JH4.
2018 Louis & Aila return but a Pine Marten steals all their eggs.
2019 Louis & Aila return and raise two female chicks to fledging: Mallie JJ0 and Rannoch JJ2.
2020 Louis & Aila return and raise two male and one female chicks to fledging: Doddie JJ6; Vera JJ8 and Captain JJ7.
2021 Louis returns but sadly Aila doesn't. Louis takes up residence on a new nest with a new mate Dorcha and they raise two male chicks to fledging: Aspen LW3 and Alder LW4. This is designated Nest 2, no one takes up residence on Nest 1.
2022 Woodland Trust install a nest cam on Nest 2. Louis & Dorcha return and raise two female chicks to fledging: Willow LW5 and Sarafina LW6. Still no residents on Nest 1.
2022 season: Louis and Dorcha returned to Nest Two on 12th April, laid three eggs 24 and 27th April and 1st May.
The first chick hatched on 31st May, the second on Jubilee Day 2nd June and the third on 5th June but sadly passed away on 12th June.
The other two progressed rapidly and were ringed LW5 (eldest ) and LW6 (younger) on 12th July, and both gender assessed as female.
Willow (LW5) fledged 25th July and Sarafina (LW6) 31st July.
Last seen on the nest: Dorcha 18th August, Willow 28th August, Louis 8th September and Sarafina 9th September.

Link to Woodland Trust Osprey page: keeps coming up as blocked! Weird! copy and paste then join up:

https://    www    woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/  

community.rspb.org.uk/.../loch-arkaig---the-woodland-trust---march-2022-to-end-of-february-2023

Dorcha bringing her one and only fish on 18th August 2022 before departing and not being seen again


Louis incubating the eggs while Aila is seen flying with a fish in the misty distance on 9th May 2020.

All captures in whatever format are copyright Woodland Trust - with many thanks for allowing captures from their nest cam livestreams

  • 17/05/2023 15:45

    Then a second fish turned up at 11.55.29 - but it came with an intruder alarm.

    Fish & chirps…

  • 17/05/2023 15:49

    Then an intruder Osprey showed up at 12.31.39! None other than Blue PU0, who visited once before, a couple of days ago on Sunday 14th.

    Seems to fancy Dorcha, but she’s not interested, got rid of him with an effective wing-slap

  • 17/05/2023 15:52
    Then we’re informed by Tim Mackrill that Blue PU0 is a 2020 juvenile from Loch Tay in Perthshire. Ringed July 2020 by Keith Brockie, along with one sibling.

    And that sibling was seen in Loch Insh last year.

    Exciting - maybe Louis will stop defending a huge swathe of airspace and allow him, or someone else, to move into Nest One.
  • 17/05/2023 15:57

    And PU0 comes back a second time at 12.49.29, tries a stealth mating move but doesn’t come close, glances off Dorcha’s back. When she moves him on, he flies up to the high perch, just feather tips visible due to the new cam angle, and stays a moment before departing.  

  • 17/05/2023 21:22

    Almost forgot this sweet little singer on Nest One, this clip is from its first appearance, but it returned five times between 09.43 and 13.40. I have no idea, it's a Sparrow-type to me, but an opinion has been given of a female Lesser Redpoll.

    Other opinions are welcome!

  • 17/05/2023 21:28

    I’m getting better at speaking Osprey - I heard Dorcha telling someone off, and thought that sounded like her Crow-voice. Sure enough, a little later a post was made saying there was a crow. Once I looked on a proper screen not a phone, I can see it flying in the distance then cheekily passing right over the nest.

    Dorcha uses her 'scare crow’ voice 16.44.35

  • 17/05/2023 21:30

    A third fish was delivered at 17.49.57. Looked a bit old and stiff, but aren’t we all? Or maybe just me Grin

    That’s probably it for today, we’ll see.

  • 18/05/2023 22:45

    18th May - another very interesting day - started with a little bird perching next to Dorcha, and then a late breakfast for Dorcha:

    Little bird perches next to Dorcha 08.45.50

    Fish number one 09.35.35

  • 18/05/2023 22:50

    Then Louis landed on Nest One to see off a distant intruder, unfortunately the camera's glitching again so we didn't get a close-up, he was in full reaction mode.

    12.25.11  Louis warns away a distant intruder on Nest One

  • 18/05/2023 23:04

    A few hours later, an unringed female Osprey lands on Nest Two, and Dorcha sees her off. She's first seen flying in the distance at 16.05.10, then lands on the tree in line with the thin centre perch, stays a few moments then is seeing flying near the nest on the right, before returning and actually landing on the nest at 16.06.00.

    Looks female despite long legs - has a deep necklace, distinguished with a big centre section and a V-outline.