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

Sunday 30th June:

The last dinner with Dorcha

20.22.04 Dorcha picks up a final piece of fish left by the fish fairies this morning, and the two chicks take note and start begging for food.

This is their last supper as tomorrow they will be taken off the nest and put in a translocation programme.

This is the best outcome given the ill-health of dad Louis preventing him from providing sufficient fish, and Dorcha being unable to both protect them and provide fish as well. 

Sunday 30th June:

20.58.35 Mum Dorcha and the two chicks are on the nest. They've all eaten well thanks to the fish fairies making a big delivery, and dad Louis bringing a fish as well.

Not much happens, the two chicks are peaceful, looking around occasionally, no fighting, with mum standing guard over them.

What they don't know is that this is their last day together - tomorrow the chicks will be taken away to join a translocation programme, and eventually move to Spain.

Louis is not well, and Dorcha can't both protect them and fish for them, so this is a very good outcome.

Daily summary Sunday 30th June 2024

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Today brought news of a bittersweet ending to the season. The carefully researched and calmly thought out decision has been made by Woodland Trust Scotland to remove the two chicks and put them into the translocation programme in the care of Roy Dennis. They will ultimately help to found a new breeding population of Ospreys in Spain. Today's videos have a certain poignancy as we know that this is the chicks' last evening on the nest - they leave Loch Arkaig tomorrow. However with Louis only able to provide half of one fish today, this is the best outcome for our family. Louis will have time to recover, and he and Dorcha can spend the rest of the season pairbonding before leaving, probably a bit early, on migration, and then we expect to see them return next year to start again. The fish tally effectively ends today at two hundred and fifty four, but doubtless statto Steve will continue to record any subsequent fish brought to the nest by either of the adults. The fish brought by the 'fish fairies' ie the licensed raptor experts only counts in that it almost certainly saved the lives of the two chicks. No action on Nest One, weather reasonably settled today with the odd moment of sunshine, but tonight's forecast is for light rain and light winds, and more rain tomorrow. They're off to sunny Spain, Viva España!

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Woodland Trust Scotland's statement in full:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15225467

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Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.20.20 (03.19.51); Nest Two 23.23.29 (03.56.16)

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Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/vD6PgwUW6c0 N2 Dominant chick attacks submissive one despite all the fish available 08.16.00

https://youtu.be/i3mLfTb3FCk N2 Intruder or Dorcha grabbing some free fish? Looks like Dorcha 09:16:48  

https://youtu.be/DOl24pZXxzo N2 Louis arrives with his first delivery of the day, headless big trout 09.35.33

https://youtu.be/ShR7Kb12D_c N2 Submissive chick gets a calm exclusive feed 19.25.27

https://youtu.be/W7mIANPajv4 N2 The chicks enjoy their last dinner with Dorcha 20.22

https://youtu.be/6Q7UEkwIG5M N2 Chicks spend a calm final evening together with mum 20.58.35

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Bonus read - info on the Spanish translocation project which is the outcome for our chicks:

https://lamarinaalta.com/en/llegan-a-su-nueva-casa-en-la-marjal-pego-oliva-doce-polluelos-de-aguila-pescadora-desde-escocia/

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Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/YqWAn-A_hak  N1 Louis accidentally bashes his Osplets with a big stick! 2019 (slo-mo) 

https://youtu.be/Qa3rDc1yAMA N1 Synchronised squeaking as the family tuck into breakfast 2020 

https://youtu.be/U4C_1fwrqMs  N1 Louis brings another late night fish 2020

https://youtu.be/ti4s_8NESx0  N1 Chick on chick aggression 2020

https://youtu.be/mhJADT2jbOY N2 Sticky situation! 2022

https://youtu.be/m5UUDLgZKww N2 Another intrusion by an unringed stranger (2022)

https://youtu.be/WSc14CAe1c0 N2 Alarm calls as an Osprey flies under the nest (2022)

https://youtu.be/vWMeMD2ouYk N1 Garry arrives with a headless BT, Affric grabs and goes 2023 

https://youtu.be/VqeiBS8t1kw N2 Fish number two,the chick eats the eyeballs 2023

https://youtu.be/xFT1WiVjWTA N1 Affric wants another fish, Garry has other ideas 2023

https://youtu.be/JmXsSd1g_o0  N2 Find the gap! 2023

https://youtu.be/ccZI-yEihy8  N2 Louis departs for the night from his perch on the Scots Pine 2023

The final family gathering..

04.53.34 Louis lands with a small whole trout, Dorcha arrives seconds later

04.54.50 Louis departs, not knowing this is the last time he will see his family

freezeframe on the family portrait

Some stills from the delivery from Louis this morning.

04.53 There was no rush.

04.54

Louis releases the fish 

Dorcha picks it up

The chick to the left pecks at the fish

Louis leaves with Dorcha preparing for the feed

04.57 Dorcha gives a piece to the chick to the right

Then mostly concentrates on the other chick

04.59 After a couple of minutes, Dorcha stops and looks at the fish

then walks away. The feed is finished.

05.00 The chick to the left is still hungry and tries to self feed for a couple of minutes , claiming a few morsels.

05.02

05.04 The chick has given up on the fish and does some wingercising.

©️WTS

Bye bye little chicks..

11.06 Cam back on - empty nest

10.36 Dorcha and Louis seen perched together a little way from the nest

10.14 Cam goes off

I took some snaps before they left. The weather turned very wet.

08.40 Dorcha sat with the chicks.

09.51

09.56 She got up to leave 

10.02 Two drookit chicks.

10.15 Last image of the chicks before they left on their new adventure.

©️WTS

Bittersweet ending but good to know the chicks will be well looked after!

That's  so true, Wendy. Looking at today's fish delivery from Louis I thought how thin he looked. Hopefully  he will gain strength and put on weight before he leaves on migration. With no chicks to feed it could be sooner rather than later.

Thank you Geemeff once more for your brilliant resumes. It will all be such useful reference material.

The chicks will be ringed before they leave Scotland, so I imagine they will have blue rings on the left leg as usual. They are I think going to be tagged, so I hope we get updates on them in due course.

According to the report by George the 2 chicks will be ringed with Spanish rings and fitted with trackers.