• Introducing the Class of 09 - Oran & Venus

    We've now changed the look of  this page to allow you to keep track of two new white-tailed eagle chicks from Mull. And now, as promised, we've added some new photos of them so you'll know what they look like - if you're ever lucky enough to see them! Thanks to Katie for sorting that. I love the shot of Oran on his nest greeting FCS climber Nick Purdy. Not a very friendly welcome! Oran and Venus are joining…

  • Its twins for Tiroran!

    29th May 2017

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

    Iona laid her eggs on 1st April and, with a 38-day incubation period, we expected them to hatch around the 8th 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…

  • Welcome to the Class of 2010: Introducing Shelly & Midge

    In case you missed it, here is a link to BBC2 Iplayer for the short film by Gordon Buchanan called Mull - Eagle Paradise - enjoy!

     

    We've made you wait for this moment but they're here at last!

    At the end of June this year with help from our friends at Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland, we fitted light-weight satellite tags to two of Mull's fine young white-tailed eagle chicks. World…

  • West Ardhu chick names and a final farewell for 2017

    24th September 2017

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

    Thursday 21st 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…

  • All in a flap

    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 9th 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…

  • Eagle & Wildlife Walks

    Now that the white-tailed eagle chick has flown the nest at Mull Eagle Watch, Glen Seilisdeir, we are having to work harder to spot the birds, but both adults and juvenile are returning to the nest tree to roost and feed.  We have also had some great views of the family flying over the Glen, with the bonus of regular sightings of a juvenile golden eagle practicing its hunting technique on the moorland above the treeline…

  • LIVE WHITE-TAILED EAGLE WEBCAM

    We now have a live webcam up and running on one of the white-tailed eagle nests on the Isle of Mull: http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/visit/mull/mull-eagle-watch . This is the nest of ‘Sula’ and ‘Cuin’ a pair comprising a Mull-fledged bird and one of the Norwegian birds that was reintroduced to the East coast of Scotland. This pair have been featured regularly on BBC Springwatch this year along with some of the our otters…

  • Final Mull eagle Watch of 2014

    The day dawned bright and clear and the sea surface of Loch Scridain was calm as I drove along the shore road to Tiroran Forest in Glen Seilisdeir, where our pair of white-tailed eagles nest. This was my last day of my second year of leading walks at Mull Eagle Watch for the RSPB. Iona and Fingal, as the female and male are named, have successfully raised another chick in 2014, their 12th year in this territory, and it…

  • Flying High

    The white-tailed eagle chick from the Glen Seilisdeir nest fledged safely back at the beginning of August and, after over a week spending much of its time on the ground in the clearing below the nest, is now to be seen soaring high above Tiroran Forest and the adjacent moorland.

    Last week the visitors to each trip of Mull Eagle Watch had probably the most spectacular views of the year. We are now walking around 1 mile…

  • Perfect Day

    After a weeks holiday I had probably the most enjoyable trip of the year today at Mull Eagle Watch with a great group of 20 visitors. The weather was overcast this morning and rain was forecast this afternoon, but it held off until after the walk when I was on the way home.

    After giving an introduction about white-tailed eagles at the hide, we walked all the way to the end of the forest track without seeing a single bird…

  • Live white-tailed eagle webcam and Wildlife Week update

    Click here now to see how the sea eagles are doing:

    Live sea eagle webcam

    There will now be a permanent link on this blog page to the fantastic live webcam from our friends in Estonia showing a pair of white-tailed eagles at their nest. This pair and their two chicks are at a very similar stage to Frisa and Skye and their two youngsters. Just click on the white-tailed eagle camera link. They have other great cameras too…

  • Out of the blue

    There have been so many times over the last three years that a young white-tailed eagle from Mull called Kellan has occupied my thoughts. From those early autumn 2010 days when he was in the Scottish SPCA wildlife hospital to the first weeks and months after his release he has never been far away from our minds. We were all so pleased and relieved how well he did to begin with but deep down none of us really knew what…

  • Drum Roll - the winner is .....

    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…

  • And we (finally) have lift off! - 27th April 2017

    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…

  • And the name is...

    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…

  • White G - RIP

    For a brief update on recent developments please see the Comments under this blog. For now, for various reasons it's important that this story stays here as the main posting. A new blog will be coming in the next few days but meanwhile any news will be under Comments. 

    After the unfolding events of this week, there could only really be one subject for the blog at the moment For details of the case of White G, please see…

  • Off to a soaring start

    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 11th, 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…

  • All in the family

    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…

  • Great sightings between the showers

    Our wildlife walks at Mull Eagle Watch are continuing despite the indifferent weather we have had in the last couple of weeks.  On wet days we are lucky to see much wildlife at all, but on the fine days we are getting great views of the white-tailed eagles, golden eagles and a host of other wild creatures.

    On Tuesday this week our morning visitors were treated to a flying display by our juvenile.  It flew low over the…

  • Farewell to a friend

    Finlay Christine, our good friend and supporter at Mull Eagle Watch passed away on 26 December 2012. His funeral was on 3 January 2013 at the beautiful little church near his home in Lochbuie, Mull. Many friends were able to attend to pay their respects but some were not and many others will have bumped into Finlay - on or off duty - on their visits to Mull over the years. So here in tribute to his amazing and full life…

  • An update on Shelly - the sea eagle rediscovered after 7 years

    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…

  • Chick Fledges

    The white-tailed eagle chick from the Glen Seilisdeir nest on the Isle of Mull has flown from the nest.  On Friday afternoon the 12 week old chick was still exercising its wings on the branches around the nest.  By mid-morning on Saturday it had gone.  No-one saw it fly and so the watching and waiting game was on to check that it had fledged successfully and not plunged to death or serious injury from 70 feet up in the nest…

  • White tail: black day

    'Daddy, did the baby eagles see much of the world?'

    It was the kind of question only a five year old could possibly ask and it stopped me in my tracks as I kissed Olivia goodnight and headed out of her bedroom.

    I turned back to look at her. 'No, sweetheart. They were too little. I don't think they did see very much of the world... but I'm sure what they did see was very beautiful...' And with that, she turned over…

  • Ups and downs for Frisa and Skye

    First of all, major apologies for the delay. Debby and I are flat out at the moment with monitoring the eagle nests on Mull and trips are also running daily at the hide. There never seems to be a spare moment. I suppose too, if I'm honest,  I've been putting off having to write this news. How can I put this? Things are not going according to plan for Frisa and Skye - or us.

    Despite a good, normal incubation and…

  • Wherever you are

    Down through the ages, there are certain white-tailed eagles who you remember more than others. A bit like people really. Some are real characters; some have big adventures that make them stand out from the crowd and a few are just, well, special. Don't get me wrong, they're all special! But a handful have an extra special place in my heart.

    Contrary to popular belief we don't name them all! A few have ended up…