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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

  • 16/08/2023 23:15

    Fish number four, headless flatfish 16.58.24

    16.57.31 Dorcha arrives fish calling

    16.58.24 Louis arrives with fish number four, headless flatfish

    Another of his lightning fast handovers, both Dorcha and Louis leave immediately

  • 16/08/2023 23:16

    Daily summary Wednesday 16th August 2023


    Four fish, two jets and a few small visitors was about it - no sight of Affric 152, Garry LV0 or the elusive Prince on Nest One again today, just a US Air Force typhoon jet flypast caught on both nest cams, and a few tiny visitors to Nest Two. However both Ludo LY7 and Dorcha are still here, and faithful fisherbird Louis just carries on making deliveries to his family. His four fish takes the tally to 376, will he get to four hundred before everyone leaves? Will Dorcha double her personal tally? Time will tell, but every sighting of them is becoming precious before the nest falls silent until next year.

  • 17/08/2023 20:27

    Ludo wants breakfast! 05.53 (zoomed)

    05.53.30 Ludo heard in the distance

    05.53.34 Osprey flypast right to left, Louis? as Ludo flies towards the nest from the belt of trees

    05.53.37 Ludo lands

    06.03.40 Ludo flies up onto cam post

  • 17/08/2023 20:29

    06.17.20 Fish number one, headless trout well-munched fish remnant, just the tail end really

    06.17.30 Ludo returns, grabs the fish, Louis departs.

    06.19.57 Ludo departs with the fish

  • 17/08/2023 20:31

    06.21.31 Dorcha arrives, Ludo heard in the background. She waits patiently but Louis doesn't come

    06.30.34 Dorcha flies up to the cam post

  • 17/08/2023 20:32

    08.28 Little Passerine arrives, hops on and off, investigate the nest thoroughly, a couple more turn up - a Coal Tit then a large number of Great Tits

    08.36 The last one leaves, flies up onto cam pole judging by the sounds, and a Tree Creeper is glimpsed briefly in the branches on the left hand side, such a fleeting glimpse, I zoomed in but still can't see it properly.

  • 17/08/2023 20:34

    09.11.51 Ludo jumps down from the cam pole to meet Louis

    09.12.08 Louis arrives with fish number two, a big headless trout. Ludo dives in between Louis’ legs to get it and Louis has a few goes before getting untangled

    09.12.12 Louis departs flying off to the right

    09.15.11 Ludo departs to the right, circles round to the left and flies across the cam view

  • 17/08/2023 20:46

    Nothing much happened today after the two fish, Ludo has been back calling, but no Louis, no fish, no Dorcha - but a glorious sunset seen from Cam Two

  • 17/08/2023 23:17

    19.42 No fish supper for Ludo!

    19.44.14 Ludo pops up to the cam post after waiting on the nest for a while, calling impatiently

    20.00.00 Sounds indicate Ludo's still up there - is Louis going to swoop in with a fish supper?

    20.21.18 Someone's still up there, a few scratching noises but no calling

    20.48.20 Fish coming? Ludo's woken up! Loud calls from the cam post.

    But no, despite his calls, Louis doesn't appear and Ludo gets no supper

  • 17/08/2023 23:19
    Daily summary Thursday 17th August 2023

    Another slow day, no action on Nest One apart from some little birds visiting, and very little on Nest Two as the season winds down. Louis brought two fish taking the tally to 378, Ludo got them but as both deliveries were in the early morning, he was disappointed on returning to the nest this evening not to get a fish supper. Dorcha only appeared once today, looking a little thin, if Louis isn't supplying her off-nest she'll need to start fishing for herself ahead of her upcoming long migration journey.