Mull Eagle Watch

3^rd November 2018

My goodness, it has been the most challenging season for Mull Eagle Watch! We’ve had some great highs and way too many lows but still, we managed to salvage the season and end with some fantastic and well-deserved news. Here is a summary of the key events that occurred this summer.

The season got off to a fantastic start at our brilliant new host site, Craignure Golf Course, where we watched…

14th October 2018

In 2010, MEW watched as sea eagle pair, Fingal and Iona, raised a chick. The female was named Shelly after Glen Seilisdeir, the valley in which the birds reside on the Isle of Mull.

Shelly as a chick in 2010 having her leg rings and satellite tag fitted ( Forestry Commission Scotland)

Shelly was fitted with a satellite tag which was designed to track her movements. Disappointingly, after only…

3rd October 2018

A few weeks ago, we were seeing Hope and Star, our adult white-tailed eagles at West Ardhu forest, bringing food back to the nest trees, only to eat it all themselves in front of the hungry chicks! On one occasion, after calling incessantly for half an hour, the chick that was perched above Hope decided to bend forward and poo on its mother! That shows her.

This ‘tough love’ seen from the parents was…

2nd September 2018

We were spolit with eagle action last Thursday at West Ardhu!

Hope arrived with a measly portion of food but, instead of dropping it in the nest, she perched underneath Misak to eat it herself, despite the incessant calling from the hungry chick.

Ulva, appeared at the same time but, realising the food wasn’t for sharing, she swiftly moved on and soared up high for our visitors for a while before…

23rd August 2018

At West Ardhu Eagle Watch, we are having the odd sighting of an immature white-tailed eagle who is obviously very inquisitive about what’s going on in the nest.

One day, it went as far as to sit in the nest tree, peering down at the eaglet in the nest before Hope crashed in to chase it off. The nearby group of five kestrels also joined in!

The intruder lands in the nest tree and peers down…

20th August 2018

Where did all that lovely weather go?

I’m, once again, living in waterproof overtrousers and boots which have been damp for days. However I can’t help but pity the eagles more than myself as they sit sheltering under branches, holding their wings out to dry.

Hope drying off her wings

Star drying out

An eagle on the drive home! Possibly Hope from West Ardhu

Despite the dismal…

31st July 2018

Alongside tours at Craignure and Tiroran, Mull Eagle Watch is now running tours at the West Ardhu eagle watch at Dervaig, owned by North West Mull Community Woodland Company.

We return to Hope and Star, the pair we watched here last year. They have successfully raised and fledged two chicks again, which are now 14 weeks old, and we’ve been seeing lots of action even in our first week here!

2nd July 2018

Sadly, on Thursday 14^th June, the Tiroran chick was confirmed dead. It had only been ringed on the Monday and the team remarked at how placid it had been when being handled.

The Tiroran chick being ringed

Looking back, that wasn’t a good sign. Cian had been watching the chick all week with visitors and had seen it feeding well on Monday and Tuesday but hunkered down on the Wednesday during storm Hector…

11th June 2018

The Mull Eagle Watch rangers attended the beautiful Treshnish (and Haunn cottages) Farm on Sunday 10^th June for their Open Farm Sunday event. This national scheme run by LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) gives farmers an opportunity to show people how they are farming in an environmentally-friendly way and for us, as consumers, to learn about where our food comes from – one of the most beautiful places…

8th June 2018

Due to the nest failure at Craignure Golf Club, we have now re-opened tours at Tiroran Community Forest! We are still running tours at the golf course but sightings of eagles can, sadly, no longer be 100% guaranteed.

The first week of tours at Tiroran are now over and Fingal and Iona have not disappointed!

We’ve watched as the eagles fly in to feed the chick who’s now stumbling around the nest and slumping…

15th May 2018

Unfortunately, as many of you know, the first nesting attempt of the Golf Course eagles failed and we were crossing everything in hope that they may re-lay. They teased us with some promising signs such as bringing back nesting material, performing aerial displays and then for four days, they appeared on the nest in the incubation position but… nothing.

Scalla landing in the nest tree

Experts…

13th April 2018

On Good Friday, when people all across the country (including myself) were getting excited about tucking into their (*cough* nine) chocolate eggs, we at Mull Eagle Watch were most excited about an egg that wasn’t chocolate at all. It was the first egg that Scalla and Anna had laid in their nest at Craignure Golf Club.

Tours began soon after and our visitors were able to see an incubating eagle…

11th April 2018

I’m excited to be returning to the role of RSPB Community Information and Tourism Officer this summer and will be running the eagle nest tours alongside Cian Burke-Brown (pictured) who is the seasonal ranger for Mull and Iona Community Trust.

This year, we are being hosted by the wonderful Craignure Golf Club. A team of volunteers has been busy refurbishing the club in time for us opening and is…

24th September 2017

Mull Eagle Watch tours have come to an end after another successful season in 2017.

Thursday 21^st was the last day of tours and, after cancelling on the Wednesday due to a return of miserable weather, I was pleased to be greeted at West Ardhu with sunshine and clear views.

Visitors saw Star swoop in and perch in the nest tree where he proceeded to sit for the rest of the day. It’s easy to think…

30th August 2017

Bunessan Primary School have now named our chick at Tiroran Community Forest after visiting for a day of fun and learning with The Mull and Iona Ranger Service and Mull Eagle Watch.

Children got messy making plaster casts of animal hoof prints along the forest tracks before learning about dinosaurs – the ancestors of eagles – with Emily and Kate from the Ranger Service. Over at the eagles hide, they…

16th August 2017 

At last, after a long and nerve-wracking wait, the chick at Tiroran Community Forest has successfully made her first flight.

Tiroran chick in the nest at four weeks old

On the afternoon of Friday the 11^th, I arrived at the hide and was greeted by the sight of an empty nest. Nothing was seen of the family until a little later when I had a quick peek through the scope and spotted a pair of conspicuous…

22nd July 2017

The eaglet at Tiroran Community Forest is just over 10 weeks old today and is set to fledge within the next couple of weeks.

White-tailed eagles usually fledge at 12-13 weeks old so it has a little longer to go yet before it makes its first flight and our visitors are seeing it becoming ever-more active in the nest.

We’ve been seeing the chick – who we think is female and is now adult-sized – flapping…

4th July 2017

The huge eaglet in Tiroran Community Forest has been getting flappy and giving our visitors fantastic views!

The chick, who we think may be a female (according to the measurements taken by the ringing team back on 9^th June), is becoming ever more active on the nest, much to the delight of our Mull Eagle Watch visitors. With brown plumage, it is rather camouflaged on the eyrie but of course, our fantastic…

16th June 2017

On Friday 9^th June, Mull Eagle Watch visitors witnessed the special moment when our chick at Tiroran Community Forest earned its very own leg rings.

At the beginning of the tour, we were admiring Iona, perched atop one of her favourite trees where she could still keep an eye on the eyrie. The chick was nowhere to be seen in the nest, nestled down fast asleep. Little did it know…

We waited in anticipation…

29th May 2017

Our Tiroran Community Forest eagle pair, Fingal and Iona, have hatched two chicks this season.

Iona laid her eggs on 1^st April and, with a 38-day incubation period, we expected them to hatch around the 8^th May. When I arrived in the forest on 9th May to set the scopes up on the nest for the day’s tours, I witnessed, for the first time, Iona feeding something in the nest!

The eggs are laid 2-5 days…

I am only just getting round to posting the first blog post of the season after a host of technical issues and general eagle busyness with our pair, Fingal and Iona. 2017 tours are well underway already!

After working for the RSPB as a fundraiser for six months in Cumbria, I am delighted to announce that I am the RSPB Community Information and Tourism Officer for Mull Eagle Watch this season. I’m leading the guided trips…

As you know Mull Eagle Watch has now closed for the 2016 season and what a season it has been.

For the first time, we had 2 viewing opportunities - one at the north end of the Island at West Ardhu and the other  towards the south at Tiroran.  Another first for Mull Eagle Watch this year was that both sites were hosted by community woodlands - North West Mull Woodland and South West Mull and Iona Development

It has…

The chick at Tiroran is now flying like an old pro! It hasn't taken him long to master the skills of picking up a thermal, a warm pocket of air to give him some height, and showing off some beautiful soaring.  Fingal and Iona are never far away, and are still bringing in food as the chick is not independent yet, but that will not be long.

Iona, female white tailed eagle - Tiroran Forest - Debby Thorne

As…

Remember this?  The bundle of fluff here is the chick at Tiroran when he was being ringed in the middle of June.

Well today and I am delighted to report the fantastic news that the chicks at Tiroran South West Mull & Iona Development Trust and West Ardhu North West Mull Community Woodland sites have now successfully fledged.  The story was covered in the Scottish Press here https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news…

Sunday evening, sat looking out on a flat, mirror like Sound of Mull with the sound of oystercatchers and curlews as my background music - I'm not sure it gets much better.

At Tiroran Community Forest South West Mull & Iona Development Trust I am lucky to have an office where I can listen to the sounds of goldcrests, buzzards mewing, song thrush singing, siskins creating havoc as the youngsters take over the…