Well it's finally happened. It's been months of waiting. Sometimes we thought it would never happen. Where would she lay? Which nest would she choose? But at last, all the signs looked good. She kept herself to herself all morning and then quietly slipped away. We kept watch from a safe distance, checking in on her only occasionally so as not to disturb her at this most important moment.

The world around her carried…

It was time to try again. Half pint had barely stirred during the last nest visit a week ago. His older, bigger sibling was standing up, his developing wings outstretched and hissing at our ringer Justin as he edged up over the nest rim. Half pint lay almost motionless in the nest and was clearly in no state to be ringed or measured. His first few weeks of life had been a real struggle. He had probably food begged and …

As I drove to the Hide this morning, my favourite band, Simple Minds, came on the radio singing "Dont you forget about me".  As I started to sing along I also began to think about our youngsters at Loch Frisa.  One has already left the nest and when I left the Hide on Friday, the second chick was doing some serious jumping and wing flapping.  It was my day off yesterday so thought it had probably fledged too.  I felt…

It's amazing that after all the years of watching sea eagles, I've never actually witnessed a maiden flight - until yesterday! Watching from Glen Aros, still searching in vain for chick no.1, I could see chick no.2 bouncing about on his favourite branch just to the left of the nest. He's been there many times before. Usually he then bravely launches himself off - and lands straight back in the nest. But yesterday…

First off, for those worried about the chicks, I have positive news...I think. I hope. People at the hide reported late today that they think they had seen the chicks up and flying along the south side of the loch. At least one adult was also in the area. I'm sure they're right. The sat tag signals are just too weak at the moment as the poor weather and thick cloud has obscured the tiny sat tag's solar panel and the batteries…

At last, we and indeed the eagles, have been enjoying some warm sunshine - and I really mean warm.  In the last week, the larches have started sprouting and have that lovely green hue about them.  The number of sand martins has increased and there is a really frenzy of activity with them relining their burrows.  Peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies are out and about and a lovely sound to be heard was the welcome return…

Well I'm sure many of you have heard by now that we have some special visitors on the Island - the BBC Autumnwatch team with Chris Packham and Martin Hughes-Games.  They have been capturing some of Mull's finest wildlife - I wont spoil it and tell you what but just to remind you to make sure you watch this Thursday, 4th November at 8.30pm on BBC2.

Today they came down to Loch Frisa to film Dave with Chris Packham…

Lennon and McCartney

Well Skye and Frisa have certainly been spending a lot of quality time together now that Heather seems to be fending for herself quite nicely.  Most days this week they have been together either sitting on the same branch or just a branch apart.  On one occasion, Skye slightly spread his wings, just touching Frisa who was sat next to him - they are such sociable birds and seem to just enjoy each…

I don't believe it!  I'm sat inside typing when outside the sky is blue with a few whispy clouds - hubby is out in the garden pruning a hedge in a tee shirt - is it nearly the end of October?  Walking the dog this morning, I had a lovely view of a flock of barnacle geese and a small flock of pink footed geese stopping off to feed before they move on, maybe to the RSPB reserve at Mersehead. 

There is something quite…

The sturdy oaks will have offered their usual sanctuary for an eagle looking for a safe roost site. Last night the Hebridean skies were clear and the temperature plummeted below freezing. By late afternoon, as the light was fading, three young sea eagles dropped out of the dark sky, circled and chased each other once or twice before vanishing out of sight into the wood. Their haunting calls echoed round the glen for a few…

courtesy Black Eyed Peas

We are back!  Today was the first day at our new location in Glen Seilisdeir on the western side of the Island.  Set against the stunning backdrop of Ben More, with lochs, forestry, plantations, we are in fantastic eagle country.

Due to ongoing forest management, Skye and Frisa  will be stepping (or flapping!) out of the limelight for a while - they are fine and we will bring you news on them…

He had that same carefree swagger that I remember. I could see that 'I don't give a damn' glint in his eye. Everything about him said: 'don't mess with me' but still there was a deep vulnerability and an occasional lack of confidence. It made me respect him even more.

But there he was in front of me. KELLAN IS BACK! The accident-prone, 2010 Mull white-tailed eagle chick - who broke a wing, a leg…

Well our visitors to Loch Frisa have certainly had plenty to entertain them over the last few days.

A bout of high pressure has brought us sunshine and blue skies - a great relief after the constant rainfall last week.  It seems as though everything has gone into overdrive.

Suddenly we are inundated with warblers, peacock butterflies, and bees.  We have been hearing the cuckoo for about a month and one is regularly seen…

There are places on this planet that draw you back time and time again. Even on Mull with lots of visitors from Easter to October there are still many stretches of secret coast where you can lose yourself and never see a soul. There's one such place I have the arduous task of having to visit several times a season to check on one of the remotest pairs of nesting white-tailed eagles in Scotland. And actually, it is quite…

Last Thursday the call went out for stories and ideas for a new specially commissioned programme for BBC Two: 'Snow Watch'. The Springwatch/Autumnwatch team wanted to know how the current freezing temperatures were affecting the UK's wildlife. The following day our good friend, cameraman and presenter Gordon Buchanan was on his way north from Glasgow across Rannoch Moor en route for the Lochaline ferry to Fishnish on…

We always get a warm glow as we finally board that ferry and begin the voyage home to Mull. It had been a long, stressful drive north on crowded motorways after a hectic fortnight of visiting family and friends in London and Wales. At one point trying to walk down Oxford Street with a great tidal wave of humanity coming in the opposite direction to us, we felt like we were about to be picked up and carried back the way…

Can you recall where you were and what you were doing 25 years ago?  I was living in Hertfordshire, sitting behind a desk working for a large pharmaceutical company and listening to Wham 'Careless Whisper', Dire Straits 'Money for Nothing' (remember that video?), and my favourite band, Simple Minds singing 'Don't You Forget about me'! In the news that year - fire engulfed a wooden stand at Valley Road, Bradford during…

Well a very strange day indeed.  After hearing the news that our two chicks may have fledged I felt quite emotional.  Having spent all this time with them, from the day they hatched and watching them grow day by day, it was as if my own child was about to leave home. 

As I drove to Loch Frisa this morning, not knowing what I might find, my stomach was doing somersaults.  Usually, when I arrive at the Hide, I spend the first…

Hi all, apologies for the radio silence from me and thanks to Debby for keeping this blog afloat. As she explained it's been quite a week and I'm only now getting a minute to update you on it. I'm forced to sit down and write due to the fact that at the moment I'm pretty much incapable of doing anything else!

Something went horribly wrong with my back yesterday simply by standing up, which after all the…

A week ago we visited a sea eagle nest on Mull with two chicks in it. This was to be the last nest check on Mull this season. We hoped we'd end the week on a high - and with the nest some 50 feet up, it didn't get much higher. These two were almost a month behind our twins at Loch Frisa and it showed.

While Frisa and Skye's chicks are now well feathered, these two were still very downy - a grey down with only…

Ok so we're a bit early to celebrate the first landing on the moon by the lunar module but it was 40 years ago today that Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Canaveral. Our second chick at Loch Frisa, a female, blasted off from the nest over a week ago. Although I've made sure I've heard her each day to ensure she's ok, I just wanted to see her. But she has kept herself well hidden. After what happened to the male chick…

There are some good dates which stick in your mind. You know the kind of thing - birthdays, wedding anniversaries, happy times. Then there are the others. Less good times. Much less good. Two dates are now etched into my memory for all the wrong reasons and I need to explain to you why that is. January 21st and June 6th 2010 are the two dates concerned. I've already written about the first date January 21st which is the…

"So no one told you life was gonna be this way?"

I often wonder how some of the white-tailed eagle chicks that have fledged from Mull have fared over the years. The biggest question mark of all is what became of that first historic chick in 1985? We didn't wing tag, satellite or radio tag chicks in those early days. Especially not the first one for 70 years!  We just couldn't risk anything going wrong. But…

I like mine with a pair of eagles!!

As Dave mentioned in his last blog, Skye and Frisa have decided on this year's nest and are now well into the routine of incubation.  Both adults take turns in sitting on eggs, although Frisa will tend to do a bit more.  It's fascinating watching their behaviour.  They are incredibly careful when they perform their changeover of duty.  The incoming bird will land on the edge of…

This is the story of a young white-tailed eagle on Mull called Kellan. So far it has a beginning, a middle but, as yet, no end. I really hope it stays that way.

Kellan was the only chick to hatch from his egg in a clutch of two last summer. He was special and different right from the start. He grew fast and strong in his sturdy nest, tended, brooded and fed daily by his two white-tailed parents. The male of the pair is…