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LOCH ARKAIG - THE WOODLAND TRUST - February 2024 - February 2025

Geemeff
12/02/2024 14:26

Welcome to Loch Arkaig Ospreys season 8

Will Louis and Dorcha return to Nest 2? White check mark

Will someone take up residence in Nest 1? Question

Will any of Louis' chicks with Aila and Dorcha be sighted? Question

2024 season:

Louis arrived on Thursday 28th March at 15.18.38

Dorcha arrived on Saturday 30th March at 14.21.27

They reunited on Saturday 30th March at 16.13.37

First egg laid on Sunday 14th March at 11.13.48  Congratulations!!

Second egg laid on Wednesday 17th March at 05.55.52

Dorcha is injured in an eagle attack on Friday 19th April at 11.08

Third egg laid on Saturday 20th April at 02.26.08 

.

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

Link to 2023 thread: 

https://community.rspb.org.uk/placestovisit/lochgartenospreys/f/loch-garten-ospreys/282446/loch-arkaig---the-woodland-trust---march-2023-to-february-2024

Brief history of the nests:

2016 Woodland Trust acquire the Loch Arkaig ancient Caledonian rainforest remnant and manage it in partnership with Arkaig Community Forest. An Osprey pair is seen.
2017 A nest cam is installed on a refurbished ancient Osprey nest. The old pair don't return but 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.
2023 Louis & Dorcha return, and raise one male chicks to fledging: Ludo LY7. No residents on Nest 1 but male Garry LV0 spent a lot of time flirting with Affric 152 despite her mate Prince still being around.
.
Louis is a father of eleven, six with Aila (2017-2020), and five with Dorcha (2021-)
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In hatch order 2017 - 2023:
2017 Lachlan (JH4)
2019 Mallie (JJ0), Rannoch (JJ2)
2020 Doddie (JJ6), Vera (JJ8), Captain (JJ7)
2021 Aspen (LW3), Alder (LW4)
2022 Willow (LW5), Sarafina (LW6)
2023 Ludo (LY7)
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Highlights:
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2023 Nest Two highlights https://youtu.be/frFhrnS7Vvo
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2023 Nest One highlights https://youtu.be/qpxRv2OIsFQ
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All captures in whatever format are copyright Woodland Trust - with many thanks for allowing captures from their nest cam livestreams.
Osprey cams funded by People's Postcode Lottery
  • 19/04/2024 19:46 in reply to Sandra

    She is favouring that right leg, look at her in the fish video I'm about to put up, she has blood on both sides but only on the right leg, and has trouble picking up the fish in her left.

    The encounter was at 11.08, the blood's not visible until 13:15:49 but I thought it might be that the injury was higher up, not on the leg itself, and the blood took time to run down through her feathers. 

    Then JXD said:

    Had a look back and when she came back at 11.13 her leg looked ok but when Louis came and took over duties at 11.34 she stood on her left leg only

    which fits my theory

  • 19/04/2024 19:47

      17.02.53 Fish number one, large headless trout, Dorcha's injury visible as she takes it 

  • 19/04/2024 19:54 in reply to Geemeff

    Aw, poor Dorcha, hope the leg will be okay. Not fresh blood but it looks a nasty  cut on the leg 

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

  • 19/04/2024 19:55

    Meanwhile, back at Nest One - dear Garry LV0 is doing his best to attract a female.. but....

    No takers for Garry LV0's travelling fish first seen at 05.32.10, then back again at 06.30 and 07.31 - he brings it back every hoi=ur on the half hour but no one is there. 

    I wish Affric would pair with him or leave him alone! This poor boy's hormones are raging, he needs a female and we need a proper resident pair.

  • 19/04/2024 20:30

    From Chaddie earlier today:

    The Bunarkaig nest continues to be busy, 2 birds most of the time now, but still coming and going and I havent seen Nest 1 and Bunarkaig occupied simultaneously yet, so none the wiser as to who is who.
    Took a couple of minutes footage this morning in that most rare of conditions - Lochaber sunshine.
    Apologies for the camera shake, there was a very light breeze so either close the window and fuzzy image or open the window and shaky image.
    .
  • 19/04/2024 22:02 in reply to Geemeff
    Geemeff said:
    She is favouring that right leg

    Yes, I noticed that in your 17:02 video. As Catlady has said, it appears to be a nasty cut. It's quite similar to the one Flora at Alyth had on her right leg on 3rd April - that healed well.

    Many thanks, Geemeff, I hope Dorcha can have a bath at some point to give it a good clean. Fingers crossed

  • 19/04/2024 23:26 in reply to Sandra

    I was thinking the very same thing about Flora Sandra. Thumbsup The blood makes the injury look worse but hopefully it’s just a bit sore and will heal quickly. She was very brave defending her eggs.️ Heart️

  • 20/04/2024 00:31 in reply to Glider

    Her third egg is due tomorrow! Hope all will be well. But she's a tough old bird, and the injury looks not too drastic, so fingers crossed.

  • 20/04/2024 00:35

     10.14.12 Hoodies hop up on the nest, and Dorcha uses her special crow voice to get rid of them 

  • 20/04/2024 00:38

    17.37.12 Affric waits on Nest One but Garry is a no-show, they've managed to miss each other today. Is that an accident, or does the unseen Prince have something to do with it?