The Mull sea eagle 'Class of '08' chicks are now beginning to seriously explore their parent's territory, which is how it should be. As we've seen with Mara doing short 'Day Returns' to the nearby coast, day by day, week by week, they are getting bolder and more confident - sometimes a little too confident.

After a long search I had located the single chick from Territory 1 way up a remote glen…

Saturday 30/08/08 2136

Just a brief update tonight...Chris reports both chicks visible earlier today back in their familiar old haunts on the south side of the loch. Frisa & Skye nearby. So all is well. But a surprise visitor to interest all you Loch Garten fans out there - and very late for this part of the world: an osprey! We do get occasional birds in spring and summer but they're usually long gone by now. I wonder…

The 'phone rang at lunchtime. It was Linda. She'd just seen a juvenile sea eagle fly low over her house on the NE coast of Mull near Ardnacross. It was so close she could see "some kind of aerial" on it. But her description initially suggested it was one of the east coast releases with a radio pack rather than one of our Mull twins. Surely it was too soon for one of the Fife birds to have drifted this…

Just a quick update tonight. It's been a long day. Unfortunately no sign of the chicks this afternoon/evening from the Loch Frisa side. It may be they are just lying low or have found something to eat out of sight. Skye came into roost this evening and I could see Frisa on her usual mound so I'm sure all is probably well. The weather hasn't been great and visibility poor so sadly today they were just beyond our reach…

Despite the dreich weather, the guys at the hide today caught occasional but definite glimpses of Mara & Breagha flapping soggily along the south shore of the loch. In the brief respite between deluges, they even managed to have a bit of a game and chase each other. A tiny kestrel too gave chase at one point. Not sure what it thought it was going to achieve against their might but it seemed determined to have a go. Being…

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…

Sunday 24 August 1000-1300

The rain never let up and today there is no sign of any eagle at Loch Frisa. Even in this weather we can normally expect to find one of them on a favourite tree or crag. After the winds of Saturday night, we're always concerned, especially for the chicks who are less experienced than Frisa & Skye in finding safe roosts. A few years ago a stalking party found an injured golden eagle chick which…

Saturday 23 August 1000-1300

Chris & Ross were on duty at the hide today. They report the whole eagle family together on the south side of Loch Frisa down by the shore. After the exertions of yesterday, they looked like they were all taking a break. It is the weekend after all. Unlike the buzzards and ravens who continue to be very active and give them a hard time whenever they get the chance. Today there was much mobbing…

Friday 22 August 1200 Noon

(Wasn't that an old ELO line?)

On arrival at the hide today, the assembled crowd were all gazing skywards. A quick scramble with bins and 'scope and there high up in the clouds above us were our two wonderful chicks, soaring together again. They were at the highest altitude we've recorded them since fledging a month ago. They looked like proper eagles! A few dives on each other showed that…

Thursday 21 August 12 Noon

Finally, the sighting which has eluded me for far too long. Mara and Brèagha up together and flying strongly. Chasing each other, attempting to talon grapple and generally just doing what sea eagles do best. A wonderful sight to behold!

Frisa and Skye, as ever, watching their offspring carefully from afar. Perhaps as relieved as I am to see that the chicks have finally rediscovered…

Wednesday 20 August 1000

Today, I found one of the chicks back at the edge of the loch, still waddling about in the shallows. It didn't go far or do much but was clearly ok. Soon the mist descended, the heavens opened and everything vanished without trace. No sign of chick no.2. Hope it's ok.

Earlier we made a visit to the nest tree to see if there were any old prey remains still to be collected. A well-known supermarket…

Tuesday 19 August 3pm

The family seem to have settled into a bit of a routine. Heading over towards Glen Aros in the mornings, picking over any unfortunate casualties from the night before and then just loafing about in the sun all day. Occasionally one of the adults heads off for something fresh but always seems to leave one adult on child-care duty.

In the afternoon, one of the chicks decided to take a paddle and waded…

Monday 18 August Loch Frisa 1000-1600

An astonishing 84 people attended the hide today during the 'drop-in' session from 10am to 1pm. Just about everyone saw Frisa perched and flying. But she seemed to keep disappearing back over the ridge and down into Glen Aros, frustratingly just out of sight. So after the session had finished, I drove round and sure enough there were Frisa and Mara feeding on a carcase not too far…

A quick stop at the hide, a scan and a listen... I could immediately hear a chick not too far away. There was Frisa perched in her favourite larches and the calls seemed to be coming from nearby.

I drove closer and stared hard into the dense conifers. Frisa ignored me as usual and continued preening only 75m or so away. Then, a movement in the branches and there was Mara, well hidden. His calls became more and more desperate…

After returning from holiday to Mull last night, I headed up to Loch Frisa this afternoon to try and see the chicks with my own eyes after too many weeks of hearing about them and reading about them on the Internet! From the hide I had a brief glimpse of one chick flying well but disappearing over the ridge into Glen Aros.

So I dashed round into the glen and waited and scanned. Finally there was one of them - Mara probably…

Our chicks at Loch Frisa have most certainly been getting more and more used to the fact that they are designed for the air....... Both Mara and Breagha have been up and about this week, playing around in the thermals, looking at the world from on high...... and it looks like they're actually beginning to enjoy it!!!

Yesterday, Mara decided that the world of Loch Frisa obviously wasn't big enough for him and followed…

It's been a very turbulent month up here on Loch Frisa, it started off in the best way possible with our Sand Martin chicks fledging and playing around with each other hunting for insects and often trying to get back into the nest-hole, but more often than not careering straight into the bank instead! It then got even better when we noticed the Swallows eggs were no more, but had turned into little pink chicks on our…