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

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 

Welcome little bob - first chick hatches! Wednesday 22nd May at 06.16.45 

Welcome little bob - second chick hatches - it's twins! Wednesday 22nd May at 22.26.15

Welcome little bob - third chick hatches! Friday 24th at 16.36.10

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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.
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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
  • I saw, and it worked. So I'm editing. Thank you!

  • Thanks Geemeff & Scylla, I havefound that now.

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

  • Am sure that is a loose feather on it's head, thought it might have been scratched out by now!

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • Think you're right, Wendy. It returned again today, see separate post above (below?!) and has lost that loose feather but still has a white splotch rather than the elegant line of the Buzzard from the 12th. It was chased off the nest by another bird, seen only as a shadow in the distance - was that the other Buzzard?

  • Nest One 15th March: a Buzzard has been on and off today, at least four visits. Something is bothering it as it mantles constantly - is the other Buzzard that visited on the 12th around? This one looks like the Buzzard from the 13th, and has lost that loose white head feather but still has a white splotch rather than the elegant line that the Buzzard of the 12th has.

    Here’s a composite video of the visits of the Buzzard today. It lands on the nest at 14.02 but seems very agitated, calling, mantling, and flying on and off the nest several times after that.

    When it flies off at 15.51 (4:32 in the video clip), a shadow of another bird is seen flying right to left chasing the departing Buzzard. Is it the other Buzzard that visited the nest on the 12th?

    Intriguing! But wish either or both were ringed as saying 'the Buzzard from the 12' etc is very clunky.

  • Whatever is going on they are both gonna be so disappointed when the Ospreys return!

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • Angela over on Adam's website has suggested putting up a photo of an Osprey next to the nest to let the Buzzards know it's taken Joy

  • 16 March:Exciting Buzzard action on Nest One - the second Buzzard lands while the first is there, and is swiftly seen off.

    I think the first is yesterday's frequent visitor, it lands on the nest at 09.56 and starts adjusting the nest's furnishings. Another Buzzard approaches, and the first only sees the second when it lands on the centre perch. It immediately flaps and gets rid of it. I think the other Buzzard is the visitor from the 12th. This just gets more intriguing - two males contesting the nest? Two females? I slowed down to half speed and zoomed in on the interaction between the two.

  • 16th March noon 

    Message from Woodland Trust George:

    A little heads up. We hope to have our ospreycam web page running with both livestreams next weekend. Since the end of last season Woodland Trust Scotland has its own channels on Facebook and Twitter and we expect to be sharing a fair bit of material there. I would encourage everyone to follow us on these respective channels if you are on them.