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

.

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
  • Congratulations on the 2nd egg this morning 05.55

    There is so much going on between these two nests Geemeff, I don’t know how you keep track of it all, your updates/videos/photos and extra bonus videos for us to watch. Thank you. 

    I'm beginning to wonder myself! (helps Rofl )

  • Not now Louis! Off he goes, and seconds later, egg number two appears (zoomed)

    05.55.16 Louis arrives and attempts mating. Dorcha isn't impressed and he flies away.

    05.55.52 She moves a couple of times and stands up to reveal the second egg! Congratulations! 

  • Great, and another one

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


  • N1: 15.06.35 Garry LV0 arrives bringing fish. He stands looking around for a few moments, but no one comes for it.

    15.10.23 He departs with his fish

  • 15:35:07 Finally, Louis arrives with fish for Dorcha, a headless Brown Trout.

    After a quick nibble, she seizes it in a beakhold and flies off with it dangling precariously. That's it for fish today.

  • 18.07.48 Affric calls for fish but Garry makes a mating attempt instead, which is rejected. He flies off, comes in again, but veers off last minute and flies off

    18.09.25 He returns with a large branch, and he and Affric work together to place it in a good spot. No sight of One-ring or Prince today

  • Amazing drone footage on Instagram: gives an absolutely stunning bird's eye view of Nest Two:


    https://www.instagram.com/p/C53rwoaIGu2/ 

    or if you prefer TikTok:

    https://www.tiktok.com/@woodland_trust/video/7358422112761040160

  • Daily summary Wednesday 17th April 2024

    Eggactly on time, three days after the first egg, Dorcha produced the second egg at dawn today. Louis appeared unaware of its imminent arrival, and attempted mating, but she just shrugged him off and got on with it. Louis was on and off the nest after that, taking his turn at incubation, but like yesterday, delivered only one fish to the nest today so the tally only rises to forty one. A fish was also delivered to Nest One, which saw a stream of comings and goings but only by Affric 152 and Garry LV0, no sighting of either Prince or One-ring today. Affric wasn't around when he brought the fish so he took it away again, but later when she called for fish, he attempted mating instead, was rejected, then flew off and returned with a branch. Interestingly, she then helped him place the branch and they did a bit of nest prep together before departing separately. That nest is looking very cosy with plenty of cot rails and soft mossy furnishings. Woodland Trust have released stunning drone footage of Nest Two - link below - taken before the birds returned, and the Nest One footage will follow soon. A mild night is forecast for tonight, with light rain and light winds.

    Night cam switchover (day cam): Nest One 21.51.01 (05.07.55); Nest Two 21.56.27 (05.24.04)

    Today’s videos:
    https://youtu.be/SGa5_hOLmmg The second egg arrives! 05.55.52 (zoom)
    https://youtu.be/oJc06aWLkAg N1: Garry LV0 brings fish but no one comes for it 15.06.35
    https://youtu.be/EsbqRINSJp4 Louis brings fish number one and only, headless BT 15:35:07
    https://youtu.be/DUPOg7KJH_U N1: Affric calls for fish but Garry brings a branch 18.07.48

    Bonus watch - drone footage gives an absolutely amazing bird's eye view of Nest Two:
    https://www.instagram.com/p/C53rwoaIGu2/

    Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
    https://youtu.be/d3Y9CGoYsvY Bold Hoodie takes advantage of Aila's absence 2020
    https://youtu.be/UPtm4jmy9Zo Louis finally manages to subdue a tricky stick 2021
    https://youtu.be/mZYG9XNCof8 How to tell Louis & Dorcha apart 2022
    https://youtu.be/N-kTPwBCeQs Louis coy-mantles over his fish then departs with it 2022
    https://youtu.be/NIeUiK4R_r8 Noisy helicopter gets Louis & Dorcha's attention 2023
    https://youtu.be/GITGVoOkg2o Hercules caught on both nest cams 2023 (split-screen zoom)
    https://youtu.be/n974C1G3zig Moody cloudy sunset seen on Cam Two 2023 (time lapse)

  • Nest One

    08.18.01 A bird is seen flying in from the left. Zoomed in it's seen to be Garry LV0 carrying a fish coming in to land on the nest

    08.18.44 A Hooded Crow appears in the branches on the left of the nest

    08.18.54 A second Hoodie flies in and perches on the centre perch, eyes the fish

    08.19.14 Garry turns towards it and it flies off the perch, but only into the branches where the first one is - Garry keeps a close watch

    08.20.40 One flies away 08.20.48 The other Hoodie flies up onto the centre perc, stared at by Garry just inches away

    08.21.02 The Hoodie flies away

    08.22.50 Garry departs with his fish 

  • 10am Nest Two - nothing untoward during the night, just a couple of squirt breaks and a wing-flap or two. Two lovely eggs gleaming white in the infra-red of night cam

    No fish yet this morning, Louis has been in to incubate and bring sticks, Dorcha would like a fish and has chuntered softly at him. The wind's picked up and it's raining lightly