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 MAYBE...
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
Blue 536 arrived 10.53.46 Friday 18 April
Second egg! 12.56.16 Saturday 19 April
Third egg! 10.30.10 Tuesday 22 April
Hello Aurora! WTS name Blue 536 Monday 5 May
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
Nest One Fish number one 13.14.15
.
13.13.43 Blue 536 arrives
13.14.15 Garry LV0 lands with a headless trout which she seizes immediately and starts eating on the nest. Garry also stays
https://youtu.be/YzkWDfUjGHk N1 Luncheon fish for Blue 536 from Garry LV0 13.14.15
Bonus activity - Woodland Trust guide to finding your nearest bluebell wood:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/things-to-do/woods-through-the-seasons/spring/best-bluebell-woods
Nest Two 05.55.09 Fish number one, headless BT
05.54 Dorcha's on the nest, calling impatiently. Her calls ramp up as she sees Louis approach
05.55.09 Louis lands with fish number one, a headless trout - she takes it immediately and leaves him to egg-duty
10.30.10 Egg number three!
The moment of arrival (zoomed):
10.28.31 Dorcha is on the nest and starts squeaking - the third egg is on the way
10.30.10 Dorcha stands up and an egg is visible - E3 has arrived!
We can’t see all three properly for all the bedding but the new one is in full view.
Nest Two Louis arrives to get a good look at the new egg and take over egg duty:
12.28.18 Dorcha stands and gives a good view of all three eggs
12.28.59 Louis flies in and immediately has a good look at the new egg
12.29.14 Dorcha moves over as Louis moves in to take over egg-sitting
12.30.00 Dorcha departs leaving Louis in charge
(zoomed)
Geemeff said:10.30.10 Egg number three!
©️WTS
Congratulations Dorcha and Louis. May your season be a lot easier this year.
Nest Two - Dorcha sees off a blue-ringed intruder
14.16 Dorcha's on the nest - she spots something
14:16 05 She stands and starts alarm calling
14.16.25 a blue ringed Scottish Osprey flies low overhead but not enough to read the ring. It circles round and is seen flying left to right across the view in the near distance. Dorcha remains wary.
Nest One Fish for Blue 536
14.25.50 Blue 536 lands calling
14.25.59 Garry follows her in carrying a headless trout, which she grabs immediately. She starts eating on the nest, Garry fiddles with bedding materials
14.35.27 Blue 536 departs with the fish leaving Garry to tidy the rather messy nest
Nest Two second fish for Dorcha
15.09.20 Louis arrives with fish number two, a headless trout.
15.09.42 Dorcha flies off with it leaving Louis to egg duty
Nest One Garry brings a second fish but no one's there
20.43.20 Garry LV0 flies in to the empty nest with a headless trout
20.43.33 Garry departs with the fish
20.43.58 Someone appears from under the big logo and flies rapidly across the view, going out of sight after passing in front of the solar panels.