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

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 

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

.

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-)
.
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)
--------------------
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
  • 09/04/2024 23:49

    Daily summary Tuesday 9th April 2024
    A very interesting day on both nests, with the return of Garry LV0 to Nest One, and an intruder Osprey flying low past Louis & Dorcha on Nest Two - was that Garry? Too quick to tell, but Garry spent more than an hour on Nest One, looking around, waiting for a female to appear. Now we need either Affric 152 or the one-ringed stranger or another female to return and pair up with him. However will the watchers cope? Louis brought three fish to the nest, taking the tally to twenty eight, all brown trout. The wind died down considerably today, and tonight's forecast for Inver Mallie is partly cloudy and light winds, however with a yellow warning for rain until 22.00 tomorrow.

    Night cam switchover (day cam): Nest One 21.20.46 (05.49.21); Nest Two 21.17.04 (05.55.47 )

    Today’s videos:
    https://youtu.be/PYO0wRpGzgY Fish number one, headless BT - Louis leaves with it 07.20.53
    https://youtu.be/0iCP59ypmps Intruder Osprey does a flypast watched by Louis and Dorcha 09.16.53 (slo-mo zoom)
    https://youtu.be/D02DTNcDNdM Welcome home Garry! LV0 arrives on Nest One 09.35.01 (zoom)
    https://youtu.be/0WR_9m9lGZY Loch Arkaig Ospreys: a sticky situation in quick time 10.16 & 14.13 (Classic Ospreys: Saint-Saëns)
    https://youtu.be/OEK5ampEWhs Garry LV0 stays for over an hour on Nest One 10.46.56 (zoom)
    https://youtu.be/tpRne7jxMiw Fish number two, headless BT 13:16:45
    https://youtu.be/VCNrPfkxqyY Fish number three, big headless brown trout 17:57:44

    Bonus read - Woodland Trust blog on avian pairbonding:
    https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/02/which-birds-mate-for-life/

    Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
    https://youtu.be/urAbbtSOcC8 Fishy frolics and fumbles 2020
    https://youtu.be/v-D7efdAnrQ The Stranger returns 2021
    https://youtu.be/42CrOP5m8UE Night storm 2022 (Artistic Ospreys series)
    https://youtu.be/2Ymjn1op0d4 Welcome home Dorcha! 2023
    https://youtu.be/6R0DNlZfH9 Chaffinch visits Nest One 2023
    https://youtu.be/0kFa_ghXf7k Dorcha's return, departure, and second visit 2023
    https://youtu.be/wKqDS1CS8MI Dorcha's third visit - where's Louis?2023
    https://youtu.be/Ra2hSrRhtJs Dorcha's fourth visit - still no Louis 2023

  • 10/04/2024 09:16

    Message from Woodland Trust George - teachers wanted!

    Any classroom teachers out there? I know we have had people say before they are watching the livestreams with their classes.

    We are looking into the possibility of developing some educational material around the Arkaig ospreys and we would love to have some contacts to sound out on what would be most useful. Primary or secondary.

    It is early days and we just want to make some contacts to get in touch with once things firm up. Thanks. Slight smile
    Contact us on Scotland@woodlandtrust.org.uk if that is you.
  • 10/04/2024 09:42

    Welcome back Affric Blue 152!

    Touched down on Nest One at 09.27.21, stayed 20 seconds then departed.

    That's all three back - Prince, Garry LV0, and now Affric 152

  • 10/04/2024 11:53

    09.27.21 Affric Blue 152 returns! Welcome home, it's so great to see you back safely.

    Now the Lochenders soap can commence as all three players are here - her mate Prince, and love rival Garry Blue LV0.

    She stays for only 20 seconds then departs to the right and is seen in the distance circling right to left flying above the green treeline and disappearing out of sight on the extreme left.

  • 10/04/2024 15:09
    Chat on the WT forum is that Dorcha is looking very eggy - could be soon.
    .
    From 'Statto' Steve Quinn:
    This is the record I have from when both birds were first seen on camera, to laying the first egg.
    Quite a large variance between 11 and 19 days. Albeit Dorcha seems to lay quicker than Aila (on average).

    Note my days are rounded down so may differ by 1 day if rounded up, in reality it will be somewhere in between.

    Days to first egg (rounded down)

    11 - 2023 Nest 2 Dorcha
    13 - 2022 Nest 2 Dorcha
    17 - 2020 Nest 1 Aila
    19 - 2019 Nest 1 Aila
    17 - 2018 Nest 1 Aila
    12 - 2017 Nest 1 Aila

    The average across all 7 seasons above is c15 days.
    .
    Dorcha & Louis reunited on the 30th, and started mating almost immediately. Today is day 11... 
    If it is today, it's very wet and miserable.
  • 10/04/2024 18:53

    11.09.42  Louis delivers fish number one, a headless Brown Trout. Dorcha seizes it and flies off with it after a few moments at 11.10.35.


  • 10/04/2024 18:54

     Fish number two, large headless BT 14.51.32

  • 10/04/2024 18:56
    Update on the Bunarkaig nest from Chaddie, posted on the WT forum about 6pm
    .
    Prince and Affric(?) currently on the Bunarkaig nest. They have been doing some intermittent nest building and one mating attempt. (Bear in mind we only watch through our scope very intermittently so we might miss plenty).
    .
    But Prince is on this nest almost every day, but never for long. And more often than not Affric comes and goes. So obviously they are not settled here or at C1 yet. I don't think we have seen Garry or any other bird here to date.
    .
    Hard to be sure because from our vantage point we are looking on an upward trajectory so almost never see their legs to try to spot any rings.
  • 10/04/2024 21:28 in reply to Geemeff
    Geemeff said:
    Welcome back Affric Blue 152!

    That is just wonderful news, Geemeff! 

  • 10/04/2024 21:51 in reply to Sandra

    Is Bunarkaig nest what was Nest one, and is Prince who we originally nicknamed the young pretender? I've  rather lost touch since LG became 'active' again.  I've  heard of 152 somewhere already  this seaso, but can't  remember where. I'm  losing  the plot, sorry.  And what is C1?  

    Birdie's DU Summaries 2018   https://www.imagicat.com/