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