Welcome to Loch Arkaig Ospreys season 8
Will Louis and Dorcha return to Nest 2?
Will someone take up residence in Nest 1?
Will any of Louis' chicks with Aila and Dorcha be sighted?
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:
22.32 Dorcha’s almost invisible on night cam, unlike the swarm of insects behind her
Nest One
09.34.25 A little bird, Great Tit, hops up on the right hand side for 15 seconds
09.34.40 exits left 09.35.10 back again, hops underneath the nest before popping up on top
09.36.08 Gone again
13.42.02 Something flashes across across the screen - slowed down to 1/10, it's seen to be a small bird, possibly a Tree Pipit (slo-mo freezeframe)
What time do you call this? Louis finally brings a fish!
16.36.46 Dorcha returns to the nest after a brief absence, fish calling
16.37.11 Seconds later Louis arrives with a fish, it's a headless trout which Dorcha grabs instantly and takes off.
This is the first fish of the day so she's hungry and doesn't waste any time.
One week from hatching, does an egg move by itself? (slo-mo zoom)
16.35.15 Dorcha alarm calls and departs in a hurry
16:35:38 After Dorcha left, one of the eggs twitches and rolls to one side. A slight but definite movement. Is it a natural roll due to the slope of the egg bowl, or did it move by itself?
First egg is due to hatch one week from today, on 21st May.
16.36.08 Dorcha returns, perches on high perch, calls again
16.36.21 Dorcha flies off the perch
16.36.46 Dorcha returns and lands on the nest
Fish number two: Louis brings a big beefy fish for Dorcha (zoom)
19.45.43 Louis arrives with fish number two. Is it a Silver Tourist? Quite beefy and silvery, but zoomed in I think trout spots are visible.
Dorcha grabs it and departs
Another quiet day, Nest Cam One was back up after the usual 3am reboot, but the only action was a couple of little visitors. A few minor alerts on Nest Two which came to nothing, no intruders seen, otherwise it was mainly calm and proceeding nicely towards hatching day, now about one week away. Louis brought two fish for Dorcha, although she had to remind him a few times, but his tally rises to an impressive ninety four, not bad for a little over six weeks since he returned on 28th March and they reunited on 30th March. No rain in tonight's forecast, just light cloud and light winds.
Night cam switchover (day cam): Nest One 22.38.01 (04.09.31); Nest Two 22.28.53 (04.08.43)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/KQXNWiKinpg N1 Great Tit (Parus major) visits 09.34.25
https://youtu.be/B_R0BHuZaZg N1 Tree Pipit? dashes across the cam view 13.42.02
https://youtu.be/WPtsG8MRD6k N2 Does an egg move by itself?16:35:38
https://youtu.be/r6nJXvhKANo N2 First fish finally arrives 16.37.10
https://youtu.be/W4dQKvJlG6I N2 Second fish is big and beefy 19.45.43
Bonus read - Woodland Trust sounding the alarm over the decline of the UK’s natural environment:
https://inews.co.uk/news/every-uk-political-party-failing-tackle-crisis-nature-3050643
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/FlMmlJjYav0 N1 Aila's attacked again by an owl 2019
https://youtu.be/a82-7I-dU0A N1 Musical nests: Aila & Louis hop on and off the nest 2020
https://youtu.be/d-HM-pAELtE N1 Sleepy Aila manages an afternoon nap 2020
https://youtu.be/SbgWzXqVX2g N1 Ghostly apparition? 2020
https://youtu.be/UQsvtAT9sAI N1 Blue 152 pays a dawn visit to the nest 2021
https://youtu.be/V1vbOK3ewwc N1 The Newsome Twosome are getting better at it! 2021
https://youtu.be/zsPVChFoZ88 N2 Dorcha and the big stick 2023
https://youtu.be/j4RTRS0Yni8 N2 Intruder Blue PU0 invades Nest Two 2023
https://youtu.be/bSxkqptK4Eg N1 Louis mantles at an unseen intruder 2023
Geemeff said:Is it a natural roll due to the slope of the egg bowl, or did it move by itself?
Maybe ... maybe not Looked to me as if it made two distrinct movements before finally rolling ... is hatching due?
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
nest One Shortly after midnight, a spider appears, looking very ghostly under the infra red of night cam.
Later, around 3am, the spider appears again, going after something caught in its web.
Early breakfast!
06.08.43 Louis flies in with fish number one, a headless trout
06.09.06 Dorcha departs with her fish