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
  • Very odd. We know Affric& Prince's chick has now fledged, but only in the last couple of days, and Affric's been visiting Garry on and off for a while, like she did last year.

    In fact, she followed Garry to Nest One this afternoon at 12.13, looking very hollow-cropped. She fish-called to Garry - is Prince not supplying enough fish? Why did their second chick die, the ringer Lewis said it was quite big. Maybe Prince was / is having a similar problem to Louis. 

    This has been an upside down year for most ospreys - Poole Harbour's four fledglings being a notable exception.

  • Nest Two

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    07.10.05 A Hoodie arrives, comes from underneath on the right

    07.10.27 Hoodie jumps up onto the nest, pokes half-heartedly looking for anything edible

    07.10.56 Hoodie jumps up onto Dorcha's perch

    07.11.30 Flies off the perch and directly out of sight 

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  • Nest One

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    12.13.01 An Osprey is seen top left flying towards the nest

    12.13.06 Garry LV0 lands

    12.13.23 Affric 152 arrives, she's hollow-cropped and checks Garry for fish but there isn't any. He coy-mantles and she fish-calls

    12.23.17 Garry leaves but instead of flying out of sight he circles round a few times, caught on nest cam in the distance, before going out of view to the right, eastwards

    12.25.13 Affric leaves and flies directly eastwards in the direction Garry went.

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  • Name                     last seen* as of 4/8    (first seen*)

    Louis                       30/7   13.31.18         .... (28/3)

    Dorcha                    27/7  11.19.43        ....   (30/3)

    Garry LV0                4/8   12.23.17        ...     (9/4)

    Affric 152                 4/8   12.25.13        ....  (10/4)

    Prince                      29/6  09.24.01        . .... (1/4)

    RDF**                      21/7 11.47.05      . .... . (7/7)

    Aida                        8/5 08.49.32        ....     (28/4)

    **RDF = really dark female

    *nest cam dates

  • Daily summary Sunday 4th August 2024

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    A dreich day with no sign of Louis or Dorcha, it's starting to feel like they've headed south to warmer climes as Dorcha was last seen eight days ago on the 27th, and Louis last seen five days ago on the 30th. Of course, those are the dates they were last seen on nest cam so there's the possibility they are still in the area. Affric 152 and Garry LV0 are definitely still around and both came to Nest One today. Affric looked hollow-cropped and asked Garry for fish but he didn't have any for her. It's her mate Prince who should be providing fish for her back on the Bunarkaig nest where their newly fledged chick is probably still returning to, but like last season, there's a complex relationship with that pair and Garry LV0 which seems to be ongoing. The forecast for tonight and tomorrow is heavy rain with a gentle breeze, and light rain for the rest of the week too.

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    Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.29.01 (04.37.17); Nest Two 22.21.56 (04.44.16)

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    Today’s videos:

    https://youtu.be/mqRrJB__R5o N2 A Hoodie arrives and perches on Dorcha's perch 07.10.05

    https://youtu.be/O28igrtvFXE  N1 Affric 152 follows Garry LV0 to the nest 12.13.01

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    Bonus webinar - Osprey migration with Dr Tim Mackrill: 

    https://youtu.be/JXWgoSF-Yrk 

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    Blast from the past - this day in previous years:

    https://youtu.be/Km5cF1Ntn-o  N1 Mother and child breakfast: Aila and Rannoch 2019

    https://youtu.be/bIfeP7mWP6E  N1 Eating and squeaking: Mallie allows Rannoch to take her fish 2019

    https://youtu.be/_o2SBbz0vW0  N1 What's wrong with Vera this morning? 2020

    https://youtu.be/g75lWkD8Y20  N1 Captain comments when Doddie overshoots the nest 2020

    https://youtu.be/3csgBihpUow  N1 All's well: the welcome reappearance of Vera 2020

    https://youtu.be/A368o4rUlb0  N2 Dorcha's marvellous mid-flight fish transfer 2022 (slo-mo zoom)

    https://youtu.be/7xBYpCZuKDs  N2 Comings and goings - two sisters and a stick 2022

    https://youtu.be/oFu1VU63HRY  N1 Who flies past Affric before the Mistle Thrush move in? 2023 (zoom)

    https://youtu.be/EZ6tmBCmmaw N1 Garry LV0 chases an intruder - Sparrowhawk? 2023

    https://youtu.be/30Cf_nKCybc  N2 Ludo tries to keep Hoodies off the nest: battle goes aerial 2023 (zoom)

    https://youtu.be/dhvAXKsCP_0  N2 Noisy Ludo gets a flapping flatfish 2023

  • In fact, she followed Garry to Nest One this afternoon at 12.13, looking very hollow-cropped. She fish-called to Garry - is Prince not supplying enough fish?


    I think it is because of lack of fish as well Geemeff that Affric has been visiting Garry. Prince will have been struggling to supply and Garry is another source of fish for Affric. Two males are better than one in this case.

    That was great that Liz got a super video confirming Affric as the female on Bunarkaig.

  • That may well be her strategy - but she's not getting fish from Garry either, or at least, only the odd one here and there. I hope she's fishing for herself and her chick.

    Liz' video of Affric is brilliant - great to have confirmation finally.