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
  • 06.05.23 Louis arrives with fish number one, a flapping trout which Dorcha grabs immediately
    06.05.56 Dorcha departs with it, leaving Louis to egg sit.
  •  10.57.09 Affric152 is on the nest, calling - Garry LV0 arrives bringing her a fish, a whole trout

    10.57.38 Affric takes off with the fish, Garry stays and does a bit of nestorising

    11.04.59 Garry als0 leaves

  • 12.39 Garry is on the nest with Affric and has been coy-mantling for some time

    He stops coy-mantling and attempts mating with Affric, no success

    12.40 he departs, she remains

  • 15:47:17 As soon as Louis brings fish number two, a headless Brown Trout, Dorcha does a grab and go and flies off with it

  • 16.02 Nest One: Very ill-tempered mating encounter between Affric 152 & Prince unpicked:

    16.02.16 Affric 152 lands with a fish

    16.02.19 swings around looking angry, Osprey feet come into view above her

    16.02.20 Prince lands

    16.02.43 Prince flies up and lands on her back attempting to mate, she doesn't actively resist but hangs her head low to the ground

    16.03.12 he flies off and up 16.03.20 lands for another go, same as before

    16.03.36 he leans down and nips her head with his beak, tries again, same result

    16.03.49 Leans down, grabs her head, pulls her backwards into the centre of the nest, she resists, flaps her wings and squeaks

    16.03.53 He flies off and away up out of cam view

    16.03.57 She flies off to the left towards the solar panels

    16.03.59 He appears and chases her, they fly between the solar panels and Pole Tree then swing to the right and fly above the knoll to the right and out of sight by the big WT logo

    Absolutely fascinating! He attacked her a couple of days ago too - what on earth is going on??

  • 16.24.52 A bird shoots past the nest - in super slo-mo, it's seen to be a female chaffinch coming very close to the camera.

    (real time with super slo-mo repeat)

  • Nest One 17.34.34 Garry LV0 lands with another big headless fish

    17.53.10 gives a quick squirt onto the nest and departs with his fish, Affric's fish is still there

  • 21.13.52 A fish supper arrives at sunset - fish number three today, a lively flapper which knocks the eggs.

    Dorcha quickly pulls it out of the nest cup and flies off with it. No harm done to the eggs.

  • Daily summary Monday 22nd April 2024

    This day last year saw an owl attack right after Dorcha laid her first egg, then an eagle touched down on the nest. Today has also had its drama, but mainly concerning the lovers in the Nest One triangle. Affric accepted a fish from Garry but rejected his advances, then later arrived with a fresh fish, presumably from Prince, who followed her to the nest and attempted mating with some aggression, including grabbing her head, pulling her backwards into the nest and chasing her when she managed to free herself and leave. She left her fish behind which Garry noticed when he arrived with a fresh fish, and had a nibble at hers but eventually departed with his own fresher fish, leaving Affric's on the nest - will it still be there in the morning? Confused? Wonder how the three of them feel about this situation! Nest Two was much calmer - Louis delivered three fish, taking the tally to fifty one, and he shared incubation duties with Dorcha, although she did have to prise him off the eggs at bedtime. The weather was settled, more of the same is forecast for tonight, with a clear sky and light winds, which is perfect weather for owls to go flyabout..

    Night cam switchover (day cam): Nest One 22.02.32 (05.08.44); Nest Two 22.21.44 (05.10.36)

    Today’s videos:
    https://youtu.be/bzoJYwxO5dY Fish number one, flapping trout, Dorcha grabs it immediately 06.05.23
    https://youtu.be/_A1o0bhxk_w Garry brings Affric a fish 10.57.09
    https://youtu.be/nQJirIJiue4 Garry stops coy-mantling and attempts mating with Affric, no success 12.39
    https://youtu.be/yR0Raz48D40 Fish number two, headless BT, Dorcha does a grab and go 15:47:17
    https://youtu.be/bVMPL7NSoN4 Ill-tempered mating encounter between Affric & Prince 16.02.16 
    https://youtu.be/rsnw7elm7hQ Chaffinch does a rapid flypast of Nest One 16.24.52 (Real-time, super slo-mo repeat)
    https://youtu.be/GomhIEZ_2mE 17.34.34 Garry brings another fish and leaves Nest One with a squirt 17.34.34
    https://youtu.be/dXwt2HSZ1fk A fish supper arrives at sunset - fish number three 21.13.52

    Bonus watch - Woodland Trust’s time lapse of a beech tree budding:
    https://youtu.be/jlvfiMr6aYM

    Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
    https://youtu.be/aQ5e_p6KSg4 Whose shadow is Aila tracking? 2020
    https://youtu.be/uPIkehlZIXw Aila gives chase 2020 (slo-mo)
    https://youtu.be/-YjzEre5Ex8 Midnight owl strike 2022 (slo-mo)
    https://youtu.be/olQdCvN9Vj4 Another owl strike an hour after the first 2022 (slo-mo)
    https://youtu.be/odF55TOSvUY Louis chases an intruder osprey off the nest 2022
    https://youtu.be/iOH80Okm7ZY Yet another intruder Osprey on the nest 2022
    https://youtu.be/uOeWEzk6yos Cheeky Hoodie invades Louis on the nest 2023
    https://youtu.be/QW4rWthqJCE Louis spots an intruder Osprey in the distance 2023 (zoom)
    https://youtu.be/U17pKvmqkcw Golden Eagle touches down on Nest Two 2023 (slo-mo)

  • Bonus watch - Woodland Trust’s time lapse of a beech tree budding:
    https://youtu.be/jlvfiMr6aYM

    Lovely link, been watching all sorts of trees budding, very peaceful thanks Geemeff!

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr