We haven't seen much of the sun lately but in one break in the deluge I watched Frisa and Skye relaxing and unwinding after their busy summer. I gently pulled the landrover in, switched off the engine and rolled quietly to a halt. Frisa was to my left high in the sitkas; Skye was on my right in a larch. I panned from one to the other just enjoying them as they preened their soft plumage in the brief warm, sunny spell…

Well I really can't believe it!  As it sit here typing, I am looking at a clear blue sky, the sun is shining and the Sound of Mull is flat calm - the bracken has turned a beautiful rusty colour, leaves are varying shades of yellow, orange and gold.  There are two adult sea eagle sat on the rocks and close by a stag and 4 hinds are grazing.  Autumn has truly arrived and the deer rut has started.

At the hide yesterday…

(courtesy Chris Rea)

I always seem to start my blogs by commenting on the weather, so here we go!  It has certainly been a right old mix with days of blue sky and sunshine, followed by grey, wet days that make it feel like November.  It is really odd when you hear about the really warm dry weather other parts of the UK have been experiencing and yet, on a couple of evenings we have had to light the fire.  The schools on…

It had been a long wait to see Kellan again back in April (see blog 'Out of the Blue') and I wondered how long I'd have to wait before he appeared again. As things turned out, not very!

We left him safely at roost on that early spring evening at Killiechronan. He was back in the heart of his parent's territory and clearly felt safe and secure. His father (previously wing tagged White X in 1995) and his mother…

Last week, we welcomed David Lindo, also known as "The Urban Birder" and photographer Russell Spencer to our Island.  Some of you may have seen David on Spring Watch, The One Show or read some of his articles in the RSPB's Birds magazine, BBC Wildlife Magazine or BirdWatching.  David lives in London and his patch is Wormwood Scrubs which some of you may be familiar with as the prison!  For David, its his piece…

This wasn't the blog I'd planned to write tonight but I thought readers might like to hear of an adventure at Loch Frisa today. The other blog will have to wait a while.

Today dawned bright and very frosty. There was ice on the road and the grass crunched under foot. The sheep were huddled round a bale of fresh, sweet hay munching eagerly after a long, chilly night. Loch Frisa looked idyllic: not a ripple on…

Well they certainly are at Loch Frisa.  What am I talking about?  Well, we have just been awarded 4 Stars "Excellent"  Wildlife Attraction category by VisitScotland!  

As you can imagine, we are over the moon.  It is great to receive the recognition that the whole experience of paying a visit to the Eagle Hide is truly "Excellent".  Of course, we knew that but to be told officially, receive a certificate…

As I drove to Loch Frisa this morning, I wondered what the day held in store. The weather looked like it could go either way - either lashing rain or glorious sunshine - I am certainly equipped for all eventualities. As I unlocked the Hide, I noticed something white on the water - a swan!  There have been several mute swans in Salen Bay for several months now so assumed one had come to visit us.

I then squelched my way…

Well, when I woke up this morning with the sun streaming through the bedroom, I thought “won’t be long before the rain arrives”.  How wrong I was.  Today has been simply glorious – blue skies and warm sunshine, just what our chicks, and also our adult birds need.  The adults haven’t been out much this week, protecting the chicks from the cold, the wind and the rain – and they have done a sterling…

Finally, one evening this week, I had the briefest glimpse of one of our precious sea eagle chicks. A weak, wobbly white wee head appeared for a second or two as Frisa looked down proudly at her new offspring. I could only see one. We hope there may be two. Frisa tenderly fed tiny morsels of food, pausing occasionally to gaze around and to look to the far horizon for any sign of Skye approaching with new prey for the…

It was a flat calm day, not a breath of wind. Not exactly ideal eagle weather you'd think. They just can't get the lift they need from the air currents to make soaring easier. Usually they sit around alot in conditions like that just waiting for the wind to pick up. But what do I know?

Just as I was sitting there thinking nothing would show, first one, then a second golden eagle cruised through. They were both…

It used to be Blondie's wood. Regular readers of this blog may recall an earlier posting titled 'The blonde bombshell'. You can read it again in the archive blog section for September. It's the place where it all began for Scottish sea eagles. The place where the first wild bred chick began his life. At this time of year with the leaves all long since blown into the deep waters of the loch, the wood seems…

The signs were not good. No off duty bird perched nearby. By now, given the fine weather, I'd have expected to see an adult enjoing the sun a short distance away from the nest. I waited and watched but all was quiet. Under licence, I ventured closer, then closer still. There should have been a reaction by now. Sea eagles react strongly if disturbed at an active nest. If there are young they will call and fly close - one…

First of all, on behalf of Dave and myself, we would like to say thank you for all your comments. They certainly make interesting reading and it's great to know so many of you take an interest in our work with the sea eagles. 

One subject that everyone talks about on Mull is the weather!  Yesterday and today were absolute contrasts.

Yesterday the forecast told us to expect sunshine and showers but instead we had wall…

It's been a tough weekend. We've had one scare after another. At Loch Frisa we've had marauding corvids - ravens and hooded crows - causing mayhem at Frisa and Skye's nest. Their alarm calls have had us all on the edge of the famous eagle bench. Then the local golden eagle decided to pay a visit and caused even more heart stopping moments. Both Frisa and Skye were off the nest leaving the eggs dangerously…

The following is an article which appears in the summer edition of "Scotland Outdoors".  Here is the link to their website.  http://www.scotoutdoors.com/

Dave Sexton, RSPB Scotland, Mull Officer

"I have lived and worked on the Isle of Mull with my family for six years now, but I first came here more than 30 years ago. I was on a school geography field trip exploring glaciated glens, ring dykes and sea arches…

courtesy Simon and Garfunkel

Well we arrived home yesterday evening after a great week over on Speyside and the Black Isle.  We had some great views of the osprey family at Loch Garten who are doing really well.  I also love seeing the red squirrels too - something we don't have on Mull!  We then travelled up to the Black Isle for a few days - I can nearly say I swam with dolphins - in fact I had my trousers rolled up to…

I'd like to bring you some definitive and positive news on the 'missing' chick at Loch Frisa but I'm sorry I can't. However, you always tell us you want to know the facts as they happen so I'm afraid there is no easy way to say this: I am worried tonight. As ever there is good news and bad news. Let's get the 'bad' news out of the way and keep positive. Compared to previous years, it is…

A brief update tonight: the family have shown well today at the hide. Both chicks again enjoying the dry sunny conditions and getting more expert by the day at controlling those massive wings. Breagha's wing will be close to 8 feet across and Mara's only a little less. Today they were sparring good naturedly high above the forest, touching talons and giving chase whilst Frisa and Skye sat contentedly on the ridge, drying…

It was time to ground-truth the satellite tag data which has been coming in recently for one of the two 2010 white-tailed eagle chicks. The data was suggesting that the chick might have fledged but the last time I checked, the youngster was still firmly on the nest although it frequently jumped out onto a nearby branch and then back again. It wasn't quite ready just yet.

This sunny Sunday afternoon, I bumped along…

Well as I sit here typing, the wind is howling outside and the rain is lashing against the window and it seems like the whole of the UK is getting a battering this time.  Incredibly, just yesterday we were enjoying blue sky and sunshine.  The car thermometer read -4C as I left home for Loch Frisa and as I drove down the forestry track, I could see the loch shining like a mirror and Ben More  looking splendid with a covering…

There were moments over the next few weeks when you really had to wonder about the maternal and paternal bonds of eagle parents and their offspring. Birds of prey like white-tailed eagles are 'hard-wired'. It's all instinctive. When there's a chick around to feed, calling, food begging, they'll hunt, feed and protect it. If it vanishes overnight, the stimulus is removed and they move on. No food begging: no need to hunt…

You may recall Dave took a well earned Sabbatical earlier this year.

Here is a link to the article he wrote. http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/b/scotland/archive/2011/09/05/from-sea-to-shining-sea.aspx

regards

Debby

Well what a week its been here on Mull - where do I start?  Well I guess the weather as that is the subject we seem to talk about most!  We have been enjoying a return to summer - clear blue skies and warm sunshine which gives us chilly evenings with some incredible starry skies.  We are fortunate to have some of the darkest skies in Europe and at the moment we are getting some great views of the moons surrounding Jupiter…