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:
14.20 Look who’s just had a feed and not wiped their beaks!
15.24 Their feathers have dried out nicely in the wind.
15.25 Dorcha returns and can’t believe her eyes!
Where did this come from?!Her first piece. She even gave some of it to her chick (who didn’t tell mum it had already been fed!)
©️Woodland Trust
15.25.02 With the licensed raptor experts having departed after their errand of mercy feeding the chicks in the inexplicable absence of Louis, Dorcha returns and spots the fish they left for her.
She immediately starts tucking in and the chicks, with full crops from the whole mackerel they were each hand-fed, crowd around her.
She gives them some of the fish but eats plenty herself. Where is Louis? Fingers crossed for his safe return.
Woodland Trust said they sought expert advice and were granted permission by the government agency who handle these matters - NatureScot - to intervene.
We have been asked by Woodland Trust admin not to record the intervention by Lewis so I am not putting up a clip of the feeding, although I’ve seen photos and clips posted on social media by others. It will be visible on youtube scrollback until approximately 1.30am tomorrow.
Editing to say George has posted that photos and video were taken by the raprtor experts during the intervention and will be out in due course - they'll be fabulous hi-def ultra close-up shots, worth waiting for.
Meantime, WT are trying to damp down the sensation a bit until, as they put it, 'we know the ending to the story'.
Fabulous vids Geemeff, so heartening, for good news of Louis!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
20.32 Current scene on the nest. Dry and still very windy. Dorcha forever watchful to see if Louis is around.
I do hope that no harm has come to Louis. My fingers are crossed that he returns after time away for whatever reason. Thank you WT for feeding the birds, and hopefully again tomorrow, if needed
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The plan is to feed the chicks again tomorrow. A platform safe from Pine Martens, Badgers etc was set up near the nest with fish left on it for Dorcha. Not sure she's had any - or at least hasn't brought any back to the nest. Of course, the Hoodies might have got there first.
Hoping, hoping, hoping Louis turns up.. if still a no-show by Sunday, a licence has been granted by Nature Scot to remove the chicks and place them in a translocation programme.
Nest One 10.06.18 An Osprey is seen flying across the cam view from left to right. Moments later Garry LV0 arrives on Nest One, and stands and preens for a while.
10.14.25 He departs only to return a few moments later with a clump of moss.
10.18.55 He sets the moss down and does a little housekeeping before perching again.
10.35.41 He departs and isn't seen again today.
(zoomed)
23.38.35 Dorcha and the two chicks huddle together on a dreich night with the wind howling around them, a long night is ahead of them
Where is Louis? No one knows.
Last seen Wednesday 26th, acting unlike his usual self.
Hurry home Louis - we miss you, Dorcha and the chicks need you.
Daily summary Friday 28th June 2024
There is no easy way to say this: Louis is still missing, not seen since Wednesday evening. We still hope to see him safe and well, but as the chicks were beginning to suffer from the incessant rain and lack of food despite Dorcha's heroics with catching an eel yesterday, Woodland Trust took the unprecedented step of approaching NatureScot for permission to intervene. They are the Scottish Government’s lead adviser on wildlife management. In this case, using the evidence of Steve Quinn's meticulous fish stats showing Louis' decline and first hand observations of Louis' unusual behaviour by LizB, permission was granted. Intrepid licensed raptor experts Lewis and Henry braved the climb to the top of the very tall nest tree and hand-fed the chicks with mackerel, leaving some on the nest as well as on a specially built platform below for Dorcha. Not a moment too soon as Lewis observed the second chick was approaching the stage of being too weak to eat. Luckily, after the initial strangeness, both chicks fed well and downed a whole mackerel each. Dorcha returned soon after they left and fed herself and the chicks from the fish left on the nest. Whatever your opinion about intervention, it's good to see the chicks with full crops again. In other news, Garry LV0 paid a visit to Nest One and returned bringing nesting materials. Tonight's forecast for the nest area is light rain showers and a gentle breeze, but the sound of the wind and the movement around the nest suggest otherwise.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.48.40 (03.30.52); Nest Two 23.19.18 (03.59.43)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/6maD-9zG5xk N1 Garry LV0 visits twice and brings nesting materials 10.06.18 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/9HYxpRU-hjY N2 Dorcha returns when the fish fairies leave after feeding the chicks 15.25.02
https://youtu.be/c2oZrwNXbvI N2 Dorcha and the two chicks huddle together on a dreich night 23.38.35
Bonus read - Morphometric sex determination of young Ospreys:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233013597_Morphometric_sex_determination_of_young_Ospreys_Pandion_haliaetus_using_discriminant_analysis
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/hAJchYM7NIo N1 Aila ignores an intruder Osprey skydancing for her attention 2020
https://youtu.be/6T4blnBVQXA N1 Louis looms out of the mist with an early breakfish 2020
https://youtu.be/GvBAoPCLWDc N1 Louis brings a very large trout 2020
https://youtu.be/Zzh6ihZO6Q8 N2 Coal Tit pays a visit 2022 (super slo-mo)
https://youtu.be/B2msIMScD6s N2 Lots of happy squeaking when fish arrives 2022
https://youtu.be/r0IOlFls9Og N2 Another intruder Osprey alert 2022 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/wZ-KmF2cTNA N2 Dorcha strikes the wrong note 2022 (Classic Ospreys: Chopin)
https://youtu.be/OjdfAzv_aYI N1 Affric stays and calls for hours but Garry doesn't return 2023
https://youtu.be/BQ-is6X0Gqs N2 Louis sorts Dorcha's tricky stick 2023
https://youtu.be/tN0NyYd1Bk0 N2 Fish arrives but the chick's home alone 2023
https://youtu.be/tcUkgVA5LFs N1 Short-Eared Owl pays a visit 2023 (slo-mo, zoom)