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
  • Middle of the night drama as Dorcha is blown over and the chicks get wet!

    02.49 Despite a weather forecast of light rain and light winds, the weather is atrocious with pouring rain and very strong winds at the top of the nest tree

    02.50.08 A gust of wind blows Dorcha completely over, it takes her a moment to right herself 

  • Fish number one - sort of!

    05.35.54 An Osprey is seen flying in the distance on the left

    05.36.12 Louis arrives with what's left of fish number one, a tail-end of trout.

    Dorcha is not impressed and doesn't move to take it so Louis has a nibble

  • Simultaneous feeding!

    05.44.18  Louis feeds chick1 from fish number one while Dorcha feeds C2 from last night’s Fish4 tail-end

    It would be a sweet scene if it weren't so soggy everything looks damp and uncomfortable, both chicks have wet feathers.

    05.44.58 Dorcha departs leaving Louis in charge

    05.46.52 Louis does a bit of beak feaking - cleaning his beak on a cot rail 05.47.00 the two chicks peck lightly at the remains of C3

    05.47.32 Crow caws nearby 05.48.33 Dorcha is heard faintly in the distance. Louis remains on the nest

  • Bye bye little Bob3
    08.50.30 Dorcha starts tugging at the dead chick
    08.50.56 It appears to move of its own accord but it's just because a chick moves behind it and knocks it with it's feet underneath
    08.51.00 She grabs C3 again, drags it across the nest. Looks like she really wants to get rid of it but has a little nibble as if to test, before she takes it away
    08.51.20 A chick picks up and eats a bit that's fallen off the corpse
    08.51.34 Dorcha nibbles the body a final time and then makes up her mind and grasps it firmly in her right foot
    08.51.54 Bye bye little chick3 - she flies off with it
    08.58.33 An Osprey is seen flying right to left in the distance
    08.58.56 Dorcha returns empty-taloned

    Warning - graphic video:


  • 19.52.16 Another little bird visits the nest, plays with a sprig of heather, then departs. Is it a Robin? 

    It looked like a robin to me too Geemeff.

  • 08.51.50 Bye bye little chick3 - she flies off with it


    Aww, farewell little one, you tried so hard but circumstances were against you. Broken heart You can fly high and free now. Purple heart

  • Terrible wind, could scarcely believe my eyes, poor Dorcha & chicks Persevere

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • Nest One 05.47 A Robin visits

    05.47.13 A little Robin pops up underneath the nest on the left then flies around and hops up onto the nest by the centre perch. It flits around for a few moments

    05.47.47 It disappears underneath the nest again

    (zoomed)

  • 14.48.00 Fish number two arrives - persistence pays off

    14.48.00 Fish number two, large whole live trout

    14.48.10 Louis departs - 10 second handover

    14.48.16 Poor fish flaps feebly

    14.50.25 Chick2 on the right of C1 decides C1 has had enough and pushes it out the way. C1 hunkers down for a moment then moves around - walking upright - and approaches Dorcha from behind, with C2 now on its left

    14.54.30 C1 is getting fed again, standing next to C2

  • Glider said:
    08.51.50 Bye bye little chick3 - she flies off with it


    Aww, farewell little one, you tried so hard but circumstances were against you. Broken heart You can fly high and free now. Purple heart

    That combination of circumstances was just too much. It could have overcome two out of the three, perhaps, but cold & wet, stress from aggression and insufficient food was deadly. 

    I just wish its death could have been faster and easier. One small mercy is that it was left alone and not harried. RIP little bob3