Loch Arkaig osprey spotted at nature reserve in France

A Scottish osprey from Loch Arkaig has been spotted at an idyllic nature reserve in France.

Lochaber-raised Ludo has been at The Bay of St Brieuc National Park in Brittany since 24 September where delighted local birdwatchers have been photographing him as he hunts. 

Woodland Trust Scotland has been operating a livestreaming nest camera following osprey family life at Loch Arkaig Pine Forest since 2017.

Ludo was the only chick raised on the camera nest this year. 

One egg was knocked out of the nest in an owl attack while a third proved infertile. His name comes from a combination of his parents’ – Louis and Dorcha. 

He took his first flight on 19 July 19th and was last seen on the Loch Arkaig nest camera on 25 August.

Most Scottish ospreys overwinter in West African countries such as Senegal, although in recent years some have been observed settling in Spain and Portugal. 

Ludo’s Brittany break may last another couple of weeks before he continues his journey south.

Credit: Jean-François Le Cam

‘Young ospreys are not taught by their parents to fish,’said  George Anderson of Woodland Trust Scotland.

‘The family splits up to migrate south separately and the young birds have to work things out for themselves as they go. 

‘Very often they will stop off for a few weeks somewhere the fishing is good and hone their skills. 

‘In 2020 our chick Doddie stopped off at the Somerset levels. 

‘Ludo has found his favoured spot in France. 

‘Local birdwatchers have been observing him fishing in the bay and have been posting about him on French language forums online. 

‘Viewers are often a bit bereft when the ospreys leave on migration so these reports will be a great comfort.’

The bird is identifiable by its tag number LY7.

In 2020 the Loch Arkaig osprey camera became a huge lockdown hit and clocked up an audience of 400,000 worldwide.

Read more on Scottish Field’s News pages. 

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