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

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

  • Exciting action on the nest this morning - Ludo has a ringed visitor.

    Description from the WT forum:

    05:39 54 Another ringed Osprey flies up over the nest to the pole ( Knocking LY7 off?)

    05:40 03 LY7 lands precarously back on the nest, C2 05 43 20 Hovering in the wind, he is off 

    05:43 45 LY7 Is back screaming on the nest, he is followed in by the other ringed Osprey hovering above the perch, then landing up by the pole. The hungry young man is holding his ground on the nest waiting for a fish while his nemesis watches from above.

  • Close-up in slo-mo with zoom but still can't read the ring

      

  • Pesky Hoodie keeps intruding on Ludo 06.27

  • Looks like the ringed intruder at 05.40 was Garry LV0 as he turns up later and it's clear it's him.

    However, Ludo gets buzzed by an unringed intruder also - it's not Louis - could it be Prince? Slowed and zoomed but still we just get a quick look.

  • Garry LV0 intrudes and actually lands on Ludo! 12.55

    12.55.24 Ludo LY7 lands closely followed by Garry LV0

    12.55.42 Garry intrudes on the nest and actually lands on top of Ludo, flies off to the left but obviously still nearby from Ludo's behaviour

    12.58.02 Ludo takes off, flies around the nest area in cam view

    12.58.20 Ludo returns 12.58.38 Garry returns and lands again

    12.58.41 Garry gets seen off but only goes up to cam post

    12.58.45 wingtip glimpsed above Ludo's head

  • As at 20.00 on Friday 18th August:

    Name               First seen                                     Last seen

    Louis               Sunday 2 April 12.26.54         Thursday 17 August 09.12.12

    Dorcha           Sunday 9 April 08.09.46          Thursday 17 August 06.30.34

    Affric 152        Monday 29 May 14.12.16       Sunday 13 August 12.10.51

    Prince             Monday 29 May 14.13.00       Friday 21 July 11.10.16 (possible 10/8 and 18/8)

    Garry LV0      Tuesday 25 April  08.29.33      Friday 18 August 12.58.41

    Ludo LY7       Wednesday 31 May 13.08       Friday 18 August now!

  • Ludo waits in vain and departs fishless 20.16.52

    Is this our last look at Ludo, or will he turn up tomorrow?

     

  • Daily summary Friday 18th August 2023

    Two intruders and no fish! First day without a fish delivery since Louis returned on 2nd April 2023. Has he left on migration?? This would be very unusual behaviour considering he has a chick still coming to the nest. Perhaps Dorcha has gone, she wasn't seen today at all, last seen yesterday at 6.30am. The winds were high causing fishing difficulty, and two intruders visited the nest, so Louis might well have been busy elsewhere. Ludo LY7 was also busy, fending off an unringed intruder who looked like Prince, a double intrusion from Garry LV0, and the inevitable cheeky crow visit from Dyson. The season is not so much winding down as crashing to a halt - it will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings.
  • Daily summary Friday 18th August 2023

    Two intruders and no fish! First day without a fish delivery since Louis returned on 2nd April 2023. Has he left on migration?? This would be very unusual behaviour considering he has a chick still coming to the nest. Perhaps Dorcha has gone, she wasn't seen today at all, last seen yesterday at 6.30am. The winds were high causing fishing difficulty, and two intruders visited the nest, so Louis might well have been busy elsewhere. Ludo LY7 was also busy, fending off an unringed intruder who looked like Prince, a double intrusion from Garry LV0, and the inevitable cheeky crow visit from Dyson. The season is not so much winding down as crashing to a halt - it will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings.
  • Ludo did an amazing job defending his nest yesterday!