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 15.18.57 fish number one, headless trout
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15.18.57 Garry LV0 arrives with a headless trout - the first fish today
15.20.10 Blue 536 flies onto the nest and Garry mantles over the fish
15.24.39 After much calling, Blue 536 eventually moves in and takes the fish from him
15.25.02 She departs with it, leaving Garry feaking his beak alone on the nest
Daily summary Monday 28th April 2025
Another quiet day, on Nest Two Dorcha endured a wet and windy night and an equally wet day today, but was largely undisturbed although an intruder Osprey was seen in the distance when Louis delivered his only fish. His tally now stands at fifty five. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 and Blue 536 spent a little time on the nest together, there were some mating attempts and a bit of nest tidying, and one fish was delivered taking Garry's tally to twenty four. While we await information on Blue 536's background, tonight's bonus guide to aging Ospreys by their plumage might come in handy. The weather forecast is much brighter with light winds overnight and full sunshine tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.00.00 (04.54.34); Nest Two 21.54.37 (05.01.37)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/ZtJpeuRvz_Y N2 Intruder Osprey in the distance when Louis brings the first fish 12.21.53
https://youtu.be/19GIHmEPZP8 N1 Garry LV0 brings fish number one and Blue 536 takes it eventually 15.18.57
Bonus read - guide to ageing Ospreys by their plumage:
https://www.raptoridentification.com/raptor/western-osprey/
Blast from the past - this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/tqPb1AiSy7Q N1 Comedy as Louis can't land a large log 2020
https://youtu.be/T4Z9VmzL130 N1 Aila uses her Louis-removal technique 2020
https://youtu.be/zBSV3MH-9XI N1 A thin unringed female touches down 2023
https://youtu.be/TwlnBA6Kyhs N1 An unringed male lands, is it Louis? 2023
https://youtu.be/qztPfcf4B2M N2 Tug of sticks - mind the eggs please! 2023
https://youtu.be/VXBMGKtIP7Y N1 Garry LV0 pays a quick visit 2024
https://youtu.be/S5UeAmvJ59s N1 An unringed female appears and takes Garry's fish! 2024
https://youtu.be/VdVTosK8JRE N1 Unringed female returns to Nest One with a rainbow in the background 2024 (zoomed)
https://youtu.be/M7sjCoAxYy8 N2 Intruder Osprey disturbs Dorcha 2024 (zoomed)
https://youtu.be/r7ujjSqFD7g N1 Garry LV0 gives his new girlfriend a second fish 2024
Special blast from the past - Aila & Louis got together for the first time on this day in 2017, here's their first season:
https://youtu.be/1q-YUOB5y4g
Nest Two 05.47.04 Fish number one, headless trout (zoomed)
05.47 Dorcha's on the nest, calling
05.47.04 Louis arrives with fish number one, a large headless trout. Dorcha seizes it and starts tearing bits off it, she seems really hungry after only getting one fish the previous day
05.47.35 Dorcha departs with her fish and Louis settles down to egg-sitting duties.
Nest One 10.44.31 Fish number one, headless trout
10.44.31 Garry LV0 lands on the empty nest with fish number one, a large headless trout
10.46.33 No takes so he leaves with it
11.09.15 Blue 536 lands on the nest, stands waiting silently
11.11.01 Garry LV0 brings the fish back, she seizes it, starts eating but they are interrupted by an unseen intruder. Garry starts alarm chipping, both look skywards
11.14.12 Blue 536 takes off with her fish
Nest One 16.50.59 fish number two, tail end piece of trout
16.50.59 Garry LV0 arrives with fish number two, or at least, the tail end of a trout
16.54.28 Blue 536 arrives and takes the small piece of fish quickly
16.55.14 She departs leaving Garry on the nest
Nest Two 18.38.15 Fish number two, headless trout
18.38 Dorcha’s on the nest, calling, and a bird is seen flying in the distance
18.38.15 Louis arrives with fish number two, a headless trout which she takes immediately
18.38.24 She departs leaving Louis on egg-sitting duty on the nest
Woo hoo! Do we finally have a bonded pair on Nest One?
Blue 536 was first seen on Nest One at 10.53.46 on Friday 18 April, chasing Affric Blue 152 away.
She met Garry LV0 an hour later at 11.56.53 nest cam time, but judging by his behaviour - following behind her as she landed on the nest and immediately landing on her back for a mating attempt - they probably met up off-nest earlier.
Since then there have been many mating attempts but none successful, until today:
05.13.00 Garry LV0 flies up and mates with Blue 536 on the perch, she's receptive and it looks successful
08.47.07 Another mating session which looks successful
08.49.31 Blue 536 brings a stick as if to confirm taking possession of Nest One
08.50.08 Garry LV0 flies up for a third successful mating
Daily summary Tuesday 29th April 2025
An exciting day today on Nest One where it looks like Garry LV0 and Blue 536 have mated successfully, not once but at least three times today. Furthermore, as if to fully claim possession of the nest (and Garry!), Blue 536 brought a stick to add to the furnishings. He brought her two fish taking his tally to twenty six. We wait to see how things progress, but it's looking very good for finally having a resident pair on Nest One since she arrived on Friday 18th April. Over on Nest Two, Louis and Dorcha went about their usual business of giving and receiving fish and taking turns incubating the eggs, and Louis' two fish deliveries take his tally to fifty seven. Tonight's forecast is for clear skies and light winds, and a sunny day with gentle breezes tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.10.49 (04.47.08); Nest Two 22.25.41 (04.52.28)
https://youtu.be/IVnRt58Tuws N1 At last! Successful mating between Blue 536 and Garry LV0 05.13.00
https://youtu.be/rOUzWiOpTpI N2 Dorcha's keen to tear into fish number one 05.47.04
https://youtu.be/Rqv12H8GHP0 N1 Handover of fish one is interrupted by an unseen intruder 10.44.31
https://youtu.be/NA39q-kBs_0 N1 Blue 536 accepts the tiny tail end of fish number two 16.50.59
https://youtu.be/il6HhuVaY2s N2 Dorcha's happy to see Louis with fish number two 18.38.15
Bonus action - a significant, lasting way you can support Woodland Trust and stand up for trees:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/support-us/give/gift-in-will/
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/rxYqoHxXPMY N1 Louis coy-mantles for Aila 2017
https://youtu.be/wO972vIFy8U N1 First mating for Louis & Aila 2017
https://youtu.be/shhxI4hywlY N1 Tawny Owl attacks Aila 2020 (slo-mo)
https://youtu.be/rYQg6ow0Krg N1 Aila helps Louis log on 2020
https://youtu.be/TCoPSKsYP4w N1 Aila chases an intruder leaving the eggs unattended 2020
https://youtu.be/5zVFnXl94p8 N1 Affric & Prince return 2022
https://youtu.be/h0lIyo4MYQw N1 The Art of Weave 2023 (Classic Ospreys: Bach in quicktime)
https://youtu.be/FoF0b5rBZ4s N2 Dorcha's glad to see Louis bringing breakfast 2024
https://youtu.be/_ptnXEqz0JI N1 Fish number one for Garry's potential girlfriend 2024
https://youtu.be/en2jZLwlbtg N1 Garry LV0 tries and fails mating with his new female friend 2024
https://youtu.be/KgbhdQWyOZE N2 Dorcha's not interested when a third fish arrives 2024
Nest Two 09.21.29 Fish number one
09.21 Dorcha's calls ramp up as she sees Louis approaching
09.21.29 Louis lands with the first fish of the day, a good size headless trout which she grabs immediately
09.21.39 Dorcha departs with it in a beak hold, Louis settles on the eggs
Geemeff said:Woo hoo! Do we finally have a bonded pair on Nest One?
I’m delighted to see this Geemeff. I can’t remember if Garry successfully mated with anyone before, I know Affric always rejected him!What a lovely couple these two will make.
Here is 536 bringing in her very nice stick!
Clever girl. ️
©️WTS