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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

  • 03/07/2023 23:27 in reply to Glider
    Glider said:
    I still can’t get over an Osprey called Garry! It’s so strange how Prince seems to have given up his mate of a few years.

    Yes, strange all round. He was named Garry after his natal nest at Loch Garry. Personally I favoured Oliver (from his Darvic rearranged oh-el-vee) or Elvio, but there we are. Follows the logic that named Affric (152) after her natal nest at Glen Affric.

    Prince and Affric have been together since 2021, and fledged a chick last year, Fishy (LV7). What has happened? It's suspected that Garry might have been what caused their nest to fail, but that's just speculation. Where is Prince? I'd love to know what's going on, I have a soft spot for him, he's matured after being such a funny bumbling inexperienced youngster.. Still, as George says, having a pair where each is ringed will make things easier next season.

  • 04/07/2023 09:41

    Monday 3rd July 2023 Nest One 07.27 Garry attempts mating, appears to be tolerated. No tail lift, but she doesn't shrug him off and he dismounts of his own accord.

  • 04/07/2023 09:42

    Monday 3rd Nest One 07.35 The big birds have gone and some little ones move in, hop around inquisitively for a few moments.

  • 04/07/2023 09:44

    Monday 3rd  08.41.37 Fish number one, headless brown trout, very silvery looking but lots of spots so classified for the fish count as trout

  • 04/07/2023 09:48

    Monday 3rd  12.57.10 Fish number two 

    Dumbrella!

    12.57.10 Louis delivers a well-munched second fish. Fish number two is definitely headless! Brown Trout, I think. It's very windy

    13.00.00 Dorcha for some reason ignores Louis and the fish, and takes herself off.

    13.01.50 The chick starts exercising those big wings, not a good idea in this wind, looks a bit precarious for a moment so Louis moves over and attempts to shelter the chick. He's not a very good mumbrella!

    13.09.04 Dorcha returns, and as soon as she's back, he departs, and Dorcha starts feeding herself and the chick.

  • 04/07/2023 09:50

    Monday 3rd July 18.22.05 louis delivers fish number three, smallish whole trout. Dorcha grabs it straight away this time

  • 04/07/2023 09:52
    Daily summary Monday 3rd July 2023

    Not a lot happened today, more wet weather and gusting winds. Garry and Affric turned up on Nest One this morning and she seem to tolerate his advances, or at least allowed him to dismount without being shrugged off, but he didn't bring any fish to the nest, and neither was seen after 11am, leaving the nest to a few little inquisitive songbirds. Nest Two saw Louis deliver three fish, taking the tally to 228, and attempt to cover the chick from the elements in Dorcha's absence when the chick tried wingercising in high winds. But mumbrella he's not, more dumbrella, the chick's too big, and he departed as soon as Dorcha returned.

    Woodland Trust's petition to prevent development of an ancient woodland has had over 11,000 responses, please keep sharing this link: campaigns.woodlandtrust.org.uk/.../1

    We need our ancient woodlands - where would our Ospreys be without them? I don't fancy a world of nesting platforms stuck on poles at the edge of car parks...
  • 04/07/2023 17:29

    Tuesday 4th July 06.01 Nest One Garry arrives early, brings moss

  • 04/07/2023 17:30

    Tuesday 4th July 07.47 Nest One Garry returns with a fish-shaped bit of wood

  • 04/07/2023 17:32

    Nest Two 08.17.58 Louis delivers fish number one, a headless Silver Tourist, big and beefy, plenty for everyone.