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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

  • 25/08/2023 11:13

    11am Friday 25th August

    Name ----------------- First seen ------------------------- Last seen

    Louis -------- Sunday 2 April 12.26.54 --------- Thursday 24 August 15.50.34

    Dorcha ------ Sunday 9 April 08.09.46 ---------- Thursday 17 August 06.30.34

    Garry LV0 ---- Tuesday 25 April 08.29.33 ------ Sunday 20 August 08.53.08

    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 (possibly 10/8,18/8,20/8)

    Ludo LY7 ---- Wednesday 31 May 13.08 ----- Friday 25 August 10.03.28

  • 25/08/2023 22:53

    10.03.28 Ludo departs and doesn't return - is this farewell?

  • 25/08/2023 22:55
    Daily summary Friday 25th August 2023

    Well, today might have been Ludo LY7's farewell - he left the nest at 10.03.28 after waiting in vain for dad Louis to bring fish, and hasn't been seen or heard since. LizB reported an Osprey with fish was seen in Louis' perch tree for several hours late afternoon / early evening, but as this one was quiet, it was probably Louis waiting to see if his offspring was around. However, Ludo just might show up tomorrow - nothing is certain apart from the fact that they don't read the manuals! No fish were brought to the nest today, the Hoodies were disappointed that after yesterday's bumper fish day, the tally remains at 396.
  • 26/08/2023 16:19

    15.30 Saturday 26th August 2023 - no Ospreys on the nest since Ludo left at 10am yesterday. Neither the Osprey seen eating fish yesterday evening nor the possible juvenile Osprey seen perching at lunchtime have come to the nest or even passed through the cam view.

    Both reports came from LizB who can see the nest through binoculars from her home nearby.

    So this looks like the end of the season for the Loch Arkaig Ospreys.

    Here's Ludo getting his first feed on hatch day 31st May, and saying farewell on his last day 25th August

  • 27/08/2023 00:12

    No luck for Dyson and Henry Hoodie 08.58

  • 27/08/2023 00:13

    A veritable flock of Great Tits flit around Nest One 11.38

  • 27/08/2023 00:14

    Juvenile Bullfinches investigate Nest Two 13.29

  • 27/08/2023 00:19

    Surprise! An Osprey lands on Nest One!

    17.04.49 Garry LV0 flies in from the right of the right hand knoll, does a quick touchdown

    17.05.01 He's off again, flies to Pole Tree and perches there.

    Very unexpected, thought he'd left on migration! But clearly not - benefits of Darvic rings, it's definitely him!

  • 27/08/2023 00:20
    Daily summary Saturday 26th August 2023

    Forum chatters have started saying their goodbyes - they think it's all over, but it isn't! Neither Ludo nor Louis appeared today and seem to have headed south, however Garry LV0 dropped in unexpectedly to Nest One for a brief moment then flew over to Pole Tree and perching for quite a while before leaving. A pleasant surprise. The flock of Great Tits who also visited Nest One and the Bullfinches on Nest Two seemed to have better luck finding a meal than Dyson and Henry who came hoping for a free dinner but will have to wait until next year. The fish tally remains unchanged at 396, 395 from Louis and just the one from Dorcha this season.
  • 27/08/2023 11:19

    Sunday 27th August

    Two videos from today in previous years - a dangerous intruder in 2020, and a fabulous shot of Willow LW5 doing a barrel-roll in 2022

    Pine Marten visits! (2020)

    Willow's wonderful wings (2022 slo-mo zoom)