Welcome to Loch Arkaig Ospreys season 9
Will both Louis and Dorcha return to Nest 2 ️ ️
Will Osplets fledge safely on Nest 2
Will someone take up residence on Nest 1
Will any of Louis' chicks with Aila and Dorcha be sighted
Link to previous thread:
Loch Arkaig June 2024 - February 2025
2025 season:
Dorcha arrived 14.04.19 Wednesday 2 April
Louis arrived 19.47.44 Wednesday 2 April
Affric & Prince landed on Nest One 11.47.48 & 11.48.02 Tuesday 8 April
Garry LV0 arrived 09.27 58 Wednesday 9 April
First egg! 17.52.55 Wednesday 16 April
Second egg! 12.56.16 Saturday 19 April
Third egg! 10.30.10 Tuesday 22 April
Season's highlights 2024: A rollercoaster season in 2024: triumph, tragedy, and plenty more!
Season Eight for the Loch Arkaig Ospreys was a strange roller coaster of a season with unrelenting bad weather plus Louis going AWOL for days, probably due to illness, leading to a lack of fish deliveries and ultimately the deaths of Chicks 2&3. But Chick1 survived to fledge, thanks to Woodland Trust arranging for a placement on a translocation programme under the auspices of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Fundación Migres in Valencia, Spain, and Louis & Dorcha are still strongly pair-bonded, and we are thrilled to see them both back safely this year for Season Nine.
Key facts:
Louis arrived 15.18.38 Thursday 28 March
Dorcha arrived 14.21.27 Saturday 30 March
Garry LV0 arrived 09.35.01 Tuesday 9 April
First Egg laid 11.13.47 Sunday 14 April
Second egg laid 05.55.52 Wednesday 17 April
Dorcha is injured in an Eagle attack 11.08 Friday 19 April
Third egg laid 02.26.08 Saturday 20 April
First chick hatched 06.16.48 Wednesday 22 May
Second chick hatched 22.26.15 Wednesday 22 May
Third chick hatched 16.36.10 Friday 24 May
Sad death of little Chick3 approx 19.02 Sunday 16 June
Louis last seen Wednesday 26 June
Louis returns with fish, uninjured, but clearly not not well Saturday 29 June
Chicks1&2 are removed to a translocation programme, both assessed male Monday 1 July
Chicks ringed with Spanish yellow Darvic rings: C1 - 1JW & C2 - 1JR Thursday 11 July
Sadly 1JR started having seizures and succumbed to a heart condition Tuesday 23 July
FLEDGE! Surviving chick 1JW found his wings and flew 3pm Thursday 25 July
Dorcha last seen on Nest One 11.19.43 Saturday 27 July
Louis last seen on Nest Two 13.31.18 Tuesday 30 July
Garry LV0 last seen on Nest One 13.35.57 Thursday 22 August
Garry LV0 sighted in Senegal 22 - 23 December
Do you want to know whether male of female Great Tits?
They are pretty easy to differentiate
The bold black stripe on its underparts is the best way to tell them apart, the male’s stripe is broader, especially on the belly, and the female’s does not reach as far as the legs.
Richard B
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Richard G B said:They are pretty easy to differentiate
I thought there was no difference! Thank you, RICHARD
IMAGICAT
Also, doesn't the male have a bit of a bib Richard ? bigger than the female. Can you confirm for me please?
The bib on the male goes into the chest stripe and all the way down the body to the legs. The bib on the female goes into a narrower stripe and stops before the legs.
Here are a couple of photos showing what I mean.
I had no idea, thank you !
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
SheilaFE said:I had no idea
Me neither, after all these years! The way I feel now, you'd think I'd been presented with a diamond ring (to replace my modest one with a loose stone) - honestly, RICHARD, how could you make us wait so long?
Nest One 15.38.19: a bird is seen flying towards the nest. It lands seconds later - it's a Buzzard. It's clutching a small twig with attached greenery it its right foot, which it leaves on the nest.
The Buzzard stays for only a few moments before departing.
Last year there was a fair bit of Buzzard activity on Nest One, and a second Buzzard was also interested in the nest, leading to this dramatic fight on 22nd March 2024. They locked talons and fell down out of sight behind the nest, no sign of either flying away afterwards, but the first one did reappear a few days later so I presume they were able to disengage safely.
Oh yes Geemeff, any bird nesting would be good if ospreys don’t use it,
Thank you Richard - those photos are very helpful, now I just need the birds to stay still and face forward so I can apply your detailed info and try to make a proper ID.