LOCH ARKAIG - THE WOODLAND TRUST - June 2024 - February 2025

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? X

Will any of Louis' chicks with Aila and Dorcha be sighted? X

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 May at 16.36.10

Sad death of little chick three Sunday 16th June at approx 19.02

Louis disappears, last seen Wednesday 26th June 11.22.56

Louis returns but is clearly not well Saturday 29th June 08.26.37

Decision made to place the two surviving chicks in a translocation programme Sunday 30th June

Licensed raptor team collects the chicks Monday 1st July 10.15

Chicks 1&2 arrive at Pego-Oliva marsh, Spain and ringed Yellow 1JW (C1) & 1JR (C2) Thursday 11th July

Sadly, 1JR (C2) started having seizures and succumbed to a heart condition Tuesday 23rd July

FLEDGE! The surviving chick 1JW (C1) found his wings and flew Thursday 25th July 3pm

Dorcha last seen on camera (Nest One) 11.19.43 Saturday 27th July

Louis  last seen on camera (Nest Two) 13.31.18 Tuesday 30th July

1JW (C1) last seen at Pego-Oliva marsh (Spain) on Tuesday 10th September

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Link to February 2024 - May 2024 thread:

loch-arkaig---the-woodland-trust---february-2024---may-2024

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 & Alder LW4. This is designated Nest 2, no one takes up residence on Nest1.
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 thirteen, six with Aila (2017-2020), and seven 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)
2024 males 1JR, 1JW (Spain)
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Highlights:
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2023 Nest Two highlights 
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2023 Nest One highlights 
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All captures in whatever format are copyright Woodland Trust - with many thanks for allowing captures from their nest cam livestreams.
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Osprey cams funded by People's Postcode Lottery
  • The smallest chick keeps low while the twins fight - mum just watches

    14.44 The biggest chick seems bored or hungry, and suddenly takes a pop at the other one.

    Smallest chick is very wise to stay low and out of the way. The older two really go for it, lots of angry squeaking.

    14.46 Dorcha mainly ignores it then comes between them and starts to settle over them but they're getting too big for that. One even thinks about having a go at her!

  • Louis delivers a second fish and the family tuck in eagerly

    15.01.12 Fish number two, whole trout. Everyone gathers around and Dorcha starts dishing up immediately.

    15.02.20 Louis departs

  • 18.41.37 Fish number three arrives, a whole chunky trout. Dorcha starts dishing up

    Look at the size of the chunks the chicks are able to eat!

    Chicks 1&2 are two weeks old today, C3 is twelve days old, their growth rate never fails to astonish.

    18.42.39 Louis departs

  • 21.18.49 Hello Garry!  Lovely to see him (zoomed)

    Garry LV0 Flies in from the gap between the knolls

    21.26.24 Garry departs flying eastwards and disappears into the stand of trees not quite on the edge of the screen view.

  • Deliver-Louis is on the job! 10pm late night fish supper arrives

    21.58.50 Reliable provider Louis arrives with fish number four, a whole medium trout, still flapping - latest delivery of the season so far.

    21.59.10 Louis departs, leaving the family rapidly demolishing the fish

  • Daily summary Wednesday 5th June 2024

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    A poor day weatherwise with more rain and wind forecast for tonight, but Dorcha did an excellent job of keeping the chicks warm and dry, and Louis did his usual good job of providing fish for his family. He brought four trout to the nest today, taking his tally to one hundred and sixty two, including a 10pm delivery which is the season's latest so far - his all-time record late delivery arrived at 23.30 in 2020.  The youngest chick at twelve days old is adept at getting an equal share of the food and becoming expert at keeping out of the way while the two-week-old twins battle for dominance. They are now way too big to be called bobs any more, all three are strong and healthy and looking likely to fledge unless something untoward happens. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 paid a late night visit and spent a few minutes just standing quietly before flying off eastwards. 

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    Night cam switches over (day cam): Nest One 23.48.40 (03.19.04); Nest Two 23.09.40 (03.43.22)

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    Today’s videos:

    https://youtu.be/xY5Gz9y9pNo N2 Dorcha takes a comfort break while Louis waits with fish number one 06.04.30

    https://youtu.be/NTrbIIoS2sY  N2 C1 & 2 fight, C3 ducks, mum watches 14.44

    https://youtu.be/BSo7hOkpDZg  N2 Fish number two, whole trout 15.01.12 

    https://youtu.be/kgBoHmMYtiA  N2 Fish number three 18.41.37

    https://youtu.be/Swd_38z9Td4  N1 Garry LV0 pays a late evening visit 21.18.49 (zoom)

    https://youtu.be/hV02DgSFcvs  N2 Fish number four, whole medium trout, flapping 21.58.50

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    Bonus read - Woodland Trust Scotland is a partner in an interesting project involving schools and prisons:

    https://www.dgwgo.com/community-focus/oaks-sprouting-prison/

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    Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

    https://youtu.be/rlUnUXa24BU  N1 Aila feeds her two hungry Osplets 2019

    https://youtu.be/Jgv4_LgJacE  N1 Aila tenderly removes her dead chick 2019

    https://youtu.be/UvBT6LNkeqk  N1 Louis manages to hang on to a huge flapping fish 2020

    https://youtu.be/tm_Fd4XZmNQ  N1 Media darlings: the nest stars on BBC Springwatch 2020 

    https://youtu.be/rNKS4HKn524  N2 NEWS! The third chick has hatched! 2022

    https://youtu.be/wOLzeoXHIPI  N2 Oh no! Newest chick falls over and struggles to right itself 2022 (zoom) 

    https://youtu.be/gqBX67I9MVs  N2 Concern grows as newest chick falls over again 2022

    https://youtu.be/ynl9WmokWA8 N2 Louis brings season's early breakfast with night cam still on 2023

    https://youtu.be/SgfJ6WGRqU4   N1 Prince brings a fish but Affric loses it 2023 (zoom)

    https://youtu.be/Jj95e3kdzgc  N1 LV0 and Affric getting cosy nestorising and preening 2023

  • Dorcha and the chicks are glad to see dad Louis bringing breakfast

    04.26.50 Fish number one, whole trout, flapping. It puts up a fight as Dorcha tears into it

    04.27.09 Louis departs, feeding continues 

    04.29.30 Something small does a flypast left to right against the near bank of green trees - insect or bird?

  • Louis brings a second breakfast an hour after the first

    05.31.26 Louis is visible in the distance flying in from the right

    05.31.36 Fish number two, headless trout. The tail end of fish one is still visible on the nest.

    Louis is very chatty when he lands with the rest of his breakfast

    05.31.45 Dorcha extricates herself from a mass of chicks and moves over to take the fish from Louis, the chicks sit up and turn towards her even though they had a fish an hour ago.

    05.32.30 Louis departs, feeding continues

  • Louis drops in bringing a lively third fish

    11.28.16 Fish number three arrives flapping. Dorcha takes it immediately, Louis stays on the nest for a couple of minutes as Dorcha starts feeding

    11.30.15 Louis departs unnoticed by the family

  • Nest One is visited by a Jay (Garrulus glandarius)

    11.44.55 There's movement in the branches to the leftof the nest, and a Jay comes into view.

    It hops around the branches before moving up to the centre perch.

    11.45.50 It flies off the perch and is seen flying to the right for quite a distance