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
.
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:
Fish number three, nice big trout, C1 & C3 manage to get some 13.41.26
13.41.26 Fish number three, a nice big trout arrives
Aggro chick2 immediately rushes over to peck the other chicks and warn them off, then goes over to Dorcha for feeding
13.41.36 Louis departs C3 moves in under Dorcha’s body trying for a mouthful - aggro chick goes ballistic, Dorcha takes the food away.
13.46 Aggro chick2 is so busy beaking chick1 that C3 is managing to get some food
A pair of Red Polls visit Nest One
14.17.42 A pair of cute redpolls, you can just see their red caps. They might be lesser redpolls?
One perches briefly then leaves, the other one potters around and seems to find something tasty on the nest floor
14.19.15 the second one departs too
14.36.26 A Great Spotted Woodpecker flies in and perches on the centre perch
It stays a few moments, departs, and returns, or maybe it's a second one, and also perches for a few moments before flying off.
(zoomed)
N1 A Great Spotted Woodpecker flies in and perches 14.36.26
N2 Fish number four, small lively trout,in the face of C2's aggression, C1&3 try self-feeding 17.03.23
N1 A Jay perches on the high perch then investigates the branches 18.54.02
19.21.43 N2 Fish number five, a huge headless trout arrives, but C3 wants it all and determindly pecks the other two into submission
Eventually even C2 is stuffed, and the other two get a good feed.
20.53.47 Fish number six, teeny tiny tiddler trout - no aggro, too small? C2 is either stuffed from the previous five fish or isn't interested in this tiny fish.
It doesn't last long. Despite all today's aggro, C1 and C3 both have bulging crops, just not as big as the one C2 has - amazed she can stand up without over-balancing!
Daily summary Wednesday 12th June 2024
Nest One was visted by several birds, none of them Ospreys. Perhaps that's just as well as the action on Nest Two was fast and furious - emphasis on the furious! Chick2 was extremely aggressive throughout the day, indulging in attacking and resource-guarding whether there was fish around or not. Chick1 was cowed into submission most of the time but chick3 is much better at standing up for itself. Louis made up for yesterday's slow-fish day by delivering six fish today, so despite the aggression all three chicks ended the day with full crops. C2 undoubtedly had the biggest. This takes his tally to one hundred and ninety two. Dorcha ignored all the argy bargy and just filled whichever beak presented itself, but the watchers weren't so easily able to ignore the aggression and a lively debate ensued, with gender speculation a popular topic, plus warnings for sensitive viewers to take a break from nest cam watching for a little while. The weather was settled, with plenty of daylight hours - as of filing this at 00.45, Nest One is still on day cam - and tonight's forecast is partly cloudy and light winds.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One? (03.15.31); Nest Two 23.41.47 (03.43.31)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/8w78Uy5FtFA N2 Fish number one, small whole trout, fighting breaks out after it's finished 05.54.41
https://youtu.be/X670uBiI8vg N2 Fish number two, whole trout, C2 attacks the others to get all the food 11.33.09
https://youtu.be/1OrPesmMXjQ N2 Fish number three, nice big trout, C1 & C3 manage to get some 13.41.26
https://youtu.be/hhe82fYjd5Q N1 A pair of Redpolls visit 14.17.42 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/CsCA1C-82eU N1 A Great Spotted Woodpecker flies in and perches 14.36.26
https://youtu.be/U4IDlGc-h7s N2 Fish number four, small lively trout, c1&3 try self-feeding 17.03.23
https://youtu.be/phiEEDCwf_A N1 A Jay perches on the high perch then investigates the branches 18.54.02
https://youtu.be/6-jk8QhKxbI N2 Fish number five, huge headless trout, but C2 wants it all 19.21.43
https://youtu.be/EHxbN2gHg0A N2 Fish number six, teeny tiny tiddler trout - no aggro, too small? 20.53.47
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/t5fExtS-g24 N1 Louis is in charge and causes chaos 2020
https://youtu.be/5v3mXd8jiP0 N1 Middle chick syndrome? Bob2 pecks mum 2020
https://youtu.be/CJZtoG43aOQ N1 A Jay (Garrulus glandarius) pays a visit 2021
https://youtu.be/jvf9PX74Ltk N2 Three chicks home alone: size difference is striking 2022
https://youtu.be/VtqM02uMCck N2 Careful with that ax, Eugenie 2022
https://youtu.be/0x2UY3d9nEs N2 OMG littlest chick is in big trouble 2022
https://youtu.be/ZKENudlj1gI N2 RIP little bob3 15.44 - 19.22 (full version, edited, zoomed)*
2022 https://youtu.be/3Tb7ULBiY-w N2 Are the parents reacting to the loss of their chick? 2022
https://youtu.be/kkV6jT1ddEA N2 Mum keeps watch as chick wanders by the edge 2023
https://youtu.be/XC_XytW-0IA N1 LV0 yo-yos on and off 2023
https://youtu.be/_FvG707X7z0 N2 Bob's all alone in a violent rainstorm 2023
https://youtu.be/gYHA-fUukN0 N1 LV0 won't give Affric his fish and departs with it 2023
*Sensitive content, some may not wish to watch
OWL ATTACK
01:46:12 Tawny Owl attacks. WT forumite Beverley describes it: "This caught Dorcha sound asleep. It knocked her sideways, but she immediately righted herself and surveyed the chicks (I presume to ensure they were unharmed). In fact, the chicks didn’t even stir. there was no sign that they heard anything, and they continued sleeping. After a few wary moments, Dorcha settled back down on the chicks and rests."
Video in real time repeated in super slo-mo.