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:
Garry LV0 visits Nest One then keeps watch from Pole Tree (zoomed)
09.00.40 LV0 arrives with a stick, spends a few quiet moments looking around and gives the watchers a fabulous close-up stare right to camera.
09.01.18 Garry departs and flies over to Pole Tree. He spends over an hour just perched there, is he surveying his domain, looking out for Affric 152, or something else?
Might this be his last sighting, will we see him on the nest again this season?
10.15.56 Garry flies off Pole Tree and heads off to the right, eastwards, disappearing into the green belt of trees near the logo.
I cobbled this together for people who don't get on with TwiX:
Photos and tweets from Fundación Migres and Woodland Trust Scotland, with an update on 1JW and the other ten translocated Scottish Osprey chicks. All are doing well, exploring the Pego-Oliva marshland and we learn that 1JW is attempting to fish for himself. Parents Louis & Dorcha would be so proud!
Daily summary Tuesday 13th August 2024
Garry LV0 paid a morning visit to Nest One, then perched on Pole Tree for more than an hour before flying away and out of sight. No sign of Affric 152 today - was he watching for her, or saying farewell to Loch Arkaig? As always, it's wait and see. A couple of the under-nest little residents popped up on Nest One for a few moments, but no activity on Nest Two. Fundación Migres, the organisation looking after our chick 1JW and the other ten Scottish translocatees, published more photos of the chicks exploring their new home in the Pego Oliva marshlands. Link in the bonus section below. The weather was unsettled, wet and windy on and off during the day, and tonight's forecast is for light rain and a gentle breeze, with sunny intervals tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.03.35 (04.25.06); Nest Two 21.59.07 (04.54.18)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/gpNX6iYjTC4 N1 Two of the under-nest residents pop up on top 08.23.18
https://youtu.be/cmNZh05Nt4s N1 Garry LV0 visits then keeps watch from Pole Tree 09.00.40 (zoom)
Bonus photos - this year's Scottish cohort of translocated Osprey chicks in Valencia:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15726113
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/TxN9ME9xskI N1 Final sighting of Aila as she brings a last fish to the nest 2019
https://youtu.be/8Zi63MzsFao N1 Butterfingers! Vera drops her fish as she leaves 2020
https://youtu.be/04vgeZRFQbU N1 Captain zigzags on leaving the nest 2020
https://youtu.be/fptR5MBl3Tg N1 Aila & Louis bring fish within 5 mins of each other 2020
https://youtu.be/hMwp93LImTg Fishy gets fed! Bunarkaig chick LV7 and his mum, possibly Affric 152 (thanks LizB) 2021
https://youtu.be/zlLA91U8PyQ N2 Dorcha fancies leftovers for breakfast 2022
https://youtu.be/g8qnv97wTek N2 Willow’s also happy with leftovers for breakfast 2022
https://youtu.be/zEyp3KBElDA N2 Sarafina snaffles the last leftover fish 2022
https://youtu.be/R3SOJSziYlM N2 Dorcha gets rid of Hoodies before Louis arrives with fish 2023
https://youtu.be/y3ZThoKQStY N1 First & last: final sighting of Affric as she brings a first-ever eel 2023 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/YXO5TKi41LU N1 Flypast of flock of birds near the nest 2023 (zoom with super slo-mo repeat)
https://youtu.be/S58WOarkHwo N2 Ludo reappears in time to get fish from dad 2023
What bird flies across the cam view of Nest One? (zoomed with slo-mo repeat)
09.44.12 A large bird flies from left to right across the cam view in the distance.
Even zoomed it's hard to make out, but it looks slightly smaller than an Osprey - perhaps a Buzzard?
Nest One
10.00.49 Garry LV0 arrives on the nest, he has a full crop and does a bit of beak feaking then some nest tidying before pausing and standing quietly for a long time
10.14.59 Affric 152 arrives with a half-eaten flatfish - did Garry give her it off nest!?
She munches on her fish while he coy-mantles beside her
10.20.57 Affric leaves, flying directly out of sight to the right
10.23.00 Garry heads off to the right, flying towards the logo and out of sight.
Daily summary Wednesday 14th August 2024
The promised sunny intervals put in a brief appearance this afternoon but it was mainly damp and windy. Putting in a longer appearance was Garry LV0, who spent some time on Nest One. He was joined by Affric bringing a half-eaten fish which she'd probably got from Garry off-nest. An unidentified bird flew across the cam view in the distance, and that was the end of the action on Nest One, with no action again on Nest Two. Tonight's forecast for the Inver Mallie area is heavy rain, continuing for the next week.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.50.07 (04.49.23); Nest Two 21.44.15 (05.06.49)
https://youtu.be/ImqlNz9eqo8 N1 What bird flies across the cam view? 09.44.12
https://youtu.be/VNOVlDOPIg4 N1 Garry's on the nest when Affric arrives with a fish 10.00.49
Bonus info about the translocation programme in year two of a five year project between Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Fundación Migres:
https://valenciabirding.com/2023/08/29/osprey-reintroduction-project/
https://youtu.be/7Z3dXSCx7jI N1 Who wants a fish? No one, so Louis takes it away again 2019
https://youtu.be/IxehDNQnTws N1 A little songbird visits before dawn 2020
https://youtu.be/fzFGKL_ShWQ N1 Aila brings the first fish of the day 2020
https://youtu.be/85HjtmwU31E N1 Why does everyone leave the nest in a rush 2020
https://youtu.be/qe3sErXlB98 N1 Sunrise time lapse (Classic Ospreys - Schubert) 2022
https://youtu.be/8EcjI8PmiSY N2 Little bird visits and does a balletic move near Willow 2022
https://youtu.be/HHrtWJO-cHE N2 Unidentified intruder LV(?): chase version 2022 (slo-mo, zoom)
https://youtu.be/zBUsLQqBJGU N2 Bold crow on the nest with Sarafina 2022
https://youtu.be/7tLsSt_pNfs N2 Sunset time lapse (Classic Ospreys - Bach) 2022
https://youtu.be/n82yRRBoSDc N2 Dorcha divebombs an intruder 2023 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/rcY16NgfPsw N2 Ludo furiously chases an intruder 2023 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/bJhNMD2vSXI N1 Garry LV0 mantles as an intruder flies overhead 2023 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/0OrTqJ8jBCs N2 Dyson the Hoodie looks at home on the nest 2023
12.08.32 Garry LV0 arrives with a clump of moss
12.49 He's perched on the left perch looking around and having a good old preen, stretching his wings
12.50.55 Garry LV0 departs, flying between the gap in the knolls and disappearing into the green belt of trees behind the right-hand one.
13.05.22 Garry LV0 returns with a stick - finds a place for the stick and pops back up onto the left perch again.
13.22.46 He departs, flying eastwards to the right and out of view
14.55.05 Affric 152 has arrived!
14.55.33 Garry arrives seconds later, looks as if he wants to land on her but she moves away and he lands on the edge of the nest and moves onto the perch.
She starts fish calling, and moves up onto the centre perch.
15.40 they're both perched on their favourite perches, looking like an old married couple with nothing to say to each other. She's not even bothering to call for fish. The silence doesn't last long!
16.13.38 Garry departs, heading over the left hand knoll towards the loch. Affric remains on the nest.
16.17.43 Affric departs, circling round eastwards to the right
Nest One RAF's noisy flypast doesn't faze Garry LV0 & Affric 152!
15.30.39 A single RAF jet flies past - it's noisy but although the pair take note, it doesn't bother them unduly