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

Nest One - Affric 152 gets a teeny tiny fish from Garry LV0

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16.36.28 Affric 152 returns to the nest, fish calling

16.37.09 Garry LV0 arrives with a tiddler - Affric grabs it immediately

16.37.30 Affric flies off with it 16.40.00 Affric returns having eaten the fish and calls for more

17.27.51 Garry leaves suddenly, in his hurry he disturbs a stick and almost takes it with him. Affric remains.

17.48.39 Affric leaves, heading east and disappearing out of sight near the logo.

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Daily summary Thursday 15th August 2024

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Plenty of action today as Affric 152 and Garry LV0 flew on and off Nest One over a period of several hours, ignoring a quick flypast by the RAF. She spent a lot of time fish-calling and was eventually rewarded with a fish - but it was a teeny tiny little tiddler which she demolished in about three minutes. She called for more, but Garry didn't oblige. The weather wasn't very obliging either, wet and windy most of the day, and same again expected tonight and tomorrow.

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Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.02.27 (05.12.15); Nest Two 21.52.38 (05.17.08)

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Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/pL-09gIw4A8 N1 Garry LV0 brings moss, tidies, and has a preen 12.08.32 

https://youtu.be/sAin2I829BE N1 Garry LV0 returns with a stick 13.05.22

https://youtu.be/1mt2ZZZhteM N1 Affric 152 arrives followed shortly after by Garry LV0 14.55.05

https://youtu.be/U9CxLSmhoTM N1 Noisy RAF flypast doesn't faze Affric & Garry 15.30.39

https://youtu.be/-c3lZKY7Blc  N1 Garry brings Affric a teeny tiny fish  16.36.28 

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Bonus action - last chance to nominate Woodland Trust for a £5k grant, closes midnight tomorrow:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15743696

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Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/2EqB8ZLlLNQ  N1 Get a grip, Mallie! (2019)

https://youtu.be/q4v0VblhLDE  N1 Confirmed: final sighting of Doddie on the nest (2020)

https://youtu.be/JNjzfsGJMd0  N1 Stramash over the first fish (2020)

https://youtu.be/Btn2GxS_waQ  N1 Fish delivery from Aila (2020)

https://youtu.be/41z2mZ9rRNI  N2 Dorcha chases crows but they return to plague Willow (2022)

https://youtu.be/N-Z7Z-WV_1U  N2 The Mystery Fish makes its appearance! (2022)

https://youtu.be/GOsbIENNolA  N2 Spotted Flycatchers visit (2022)

https://youtu.be/_KZr32ZVd74  N2 Dorcha's fish calls get no response 2023

https://youtu.be/TorII7K__-g  N2 Spotted Flycatcher on Dorcha's perch 2023

https://youtu.be/3ReQ1_Bhj0I N2 Ludo does a faceplant 2023

https://youtu.be/mwUhXluhRss N2 Great Tit catches Ludo's attention 2023

https://youtu.be/DOjTPRRcbj8 N2 Louis does a three-second fish handover to Ludo 2023

More photos and tweets from Fundación Migres and Woodland Trust Scotland, with an update on our Arkaig osprey chick 1JW and the other ten translocated Scottish Osprey chicks.

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All are doing well, exploring Parque Natural de la Marjal de Pego-Oliva Spain.

One of the photos is of 1JW but we don't know which one!

All the birds look in magnificent condition, getting ready for the long hazardous migration journey.

Or will some stick around in Spain or Portugal? With climate change warming things up, that's also a possibility.

Photos courtesy of the Fundación Migres: https://www.fundacionmigres.org/en/

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I cobbled this video together for those who don't get on with TwiX

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Nest One

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10.51.20 Movement from between the knolls in the distance - someone's flying towards the nest

10.51.25 Garry LV0 arrives with a clump of moss

Does a quick bit of nest-cupping then hops up onto the left hand perch, starts preening

11.01 Garry starts coy-mantling

11.01.16 Affric 152 arrives and starts fish-calling. They spend two hours together

13.19.47 Garry flies off.

13.26.26 He arrives back with a stick

13.34.15 Both suddenly look around and depart in a hurry

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Nest One

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16.20.59 Garry LV0 arrives with a clump of moss. He pootles around the nest for a few moments then starts coy-mantling

16.21.43 Affric 152 arrives. She checks him for fish but there isn't any, and she starts asking and keeps calling

16.54.59 Garry leaves, flying directly out of sight to the left - westwards

17.30 Affric is still sitting waiting and hoping he's going to return with fish but he doesn't

17.33.38 Affric gives up and flies off also flying westwards

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Daily summary Friday 16th August 2024

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Garry LV0 and Affric 152 spent hours on the nest again today. Although Affric gave Garry much vocal encouragement, he only brought moss to the nest, no fish. Fundación Migres provided more photos of the Scottish cohort including our chick 1JW, we're not sure which photo he's in but all the birds look in magnificent shape as they prepare for migration. Photos and tweets cobbled together into a video for those who don't get on with TwiX. Weather-wise it was wet and windy as forecast, and more of the same tonight but with a possibility of dry spells tomorrow.

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Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One  21.56.53 (05.06.56); Nest Two 21.47.01 (05.13.30)

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Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/RnY54XNtci8 Spain: more photos and tweets of 1JW and the other ten translocatees

https://youtu.be/rQYUcsjAKB0 N1 Affric joins Garry but he brings sticks not fish 10.51.20

https://youtu.be/lD-oLI2NjpA N1 Garry and Affric return later but there's still no fish 16.20.59

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Bonus photo - our ringer Lewis Pate makes The Week In Wildlife (thanks Moira)

https://bit.ly/WeekInWildlifeLewisringingaSeaEaglechick

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Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/plpQ3BYG-Rc  N1 All grown up: Rannoch defends her fish 2019

https://youtu.be/K4Kbj7NQ0q8  N1 Aila brings fish but looks like she needs it most 2020

https://youtu.be/qcBatA6qgTY N1 Size matters! Split screen 2020

https://youtu.be/hiFrQx0H8TQ  N1 Captain steals Vera's fish 2020

https://youtu.be/jP-04_PQW_I  N2 Little bird does a flypast behind Sarafina, returns and perches 2022

https://youtu.be/XaxM2NwNUCg N2 Dorcha stays on the nest until Sarafina gives her a nip! 2022

https://youtu.be/5hvJRi33SFM N2 Sarafina practises flying with fish but isn’t quite there yet 2022

https://youtu.be/F0ys6FiFeeM N2 Cleaning crew arrive too early 2022

https://youtu.be/7XYT94gy-Ig  N2 Louis and Dorcha do a rapid fish handover 2023

https://youtu.be/bLzUfkvwasE  N1 & N2 USAF flypast 2023 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/rW3CJVJqZLU  N2 Ludo waits ready to grab the fish 2023

Nest One:

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12.12.38 Garry LV0 arrives, immediately followed by Affric 152, both fly in from the east

12.17.58 Garry leaves the left-hand perch for a mating attempt, not successful, but she doesn't rebuff him, just gives a little wing-lift

12.18.25 Alarm chipping - both look intently to the left and at the camera then Affric leaves in a hurry, quickly followed by Garry - both head eastwards flying up towards the logo.

Affric swings round and flies westwards

12.18.52 Affric lands on Stick Tree

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(zoomed)

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Nest One

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12.24.16 Garry LV0 returns with a huge clump of moss

12.47.55 Affric leaves Stick Tree and returns to the nest, landing eleven seconds later - if you listen intently, you can hear her fish-calling

13.11.56 Garry leaves

13.12.47 Garry returns with a thin twiggy stick - Affric's fish calling

14.07.18 Garry departs, not far as Affric keeps calling

14.29.17 Garry returns - with moss! Affric isn't happy, calls ramp up, both move to their respective perches

15.10.15 Garry leaves, doesn't return again today

15.19.07 Affric departs for the day too

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She's been on the nest 2.5 hours calling most of that time, but no fish. Garry is going to have to work harder to make her pair with him.

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