Agony and ecstasy

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 efforts of the last seven days is a bit ironic. So, dosed up with ibuprofen and paracetemol in a drug-induced haze, here goes.

A week ago this morning I was being elbowed awake after finally hitting the sack at 3 am. If I didn't get up now we'd be too late for breakfast. The aroma of sizzling bacon was wafting up the stairs. I'd just completed the first of three corncrake surveys on Iona. It had been a perfect warm, dry and still evening as Bethan (aged 9 and 3/4) and I cycled off from the B&B at 11 pm to start the survey at midnight. Yes, some sadistic researcher has concluded that all corncrake surveys have to be completed between midnight and 3 am when the males are on territory and in full cry.

In the semi-darkness of early summer, we pedalled our way along near empty lanes, stopping to count and plot all calling corncrakes in this national survey year. We tried to work out what was an echo and what was bouncing off farm buildings. We managed to swerve round late night ceilidh-goers staggering home and late night lovers startled by us cycling close-by.

Ah, Iona in summer. The air was full of bird calls from drumming snipe, piping oystercatchers and croaking crakes. We also managed to surprise a few snoozing ewes and lambs and a slightly manic sheepdog in the darkness. Luckily his chain was not quite long enough to reach us and we pedalled on with an adrenalin charged burst of energy. At the end, Bethan was almost asleep at the handlebars and we finally crashed into bed having counted a minimum of 28 calling corncrakes. A great start to the season.

Monday brought Day 1 of a hectic week of ringing sea eagle chicks, tree climbing to check failed nests, filming with Blue Peter and organising boats and people to be in the right place at the right time - oh and an event with the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay (Prince Charles & Camilla if you're not up on your Royal titles) thrown in for good measure.

Our tree climber Justin Grant and ringer Roger Broad worked tirelessly all week and we got round all seven active nests on Mull, two others nearby and checked all inactive nests too for signs of failed eggs. Blue Peter presenter Andy was a pleasure to have along and he was genuinely "blown away" by the "awesome" size of the chicks. Hope Blue Peter viewers enjoy it all on 30 June BBC One 4.35pm.

He spent a couple of hours on Wednesday morning in Salen Primary School under seige from eager pupils showing him their eco-garden, recycling bins and bird boxes. He also presented the school with a cheque from the Mull Eagle Fund to help them buy a nest-box camera kit. Then he signed autographs and chatted to everyone. Great guy. They filmed with Finlay too and then headed for the ferry on Wednesday.

On Thursday I hot-footed it to the wonderful Aigas Field Centre near Beauly as a guest at the Royal opening of the Magnus House - a superb environmental education centre named after Magnus Magnusson. Broadcaster Sally Magnusson gave a moving speech in memory of her father followed by Prince Charles who gave an unexpected and unscripted talk on the frightening loss of rain forests around the globe. It was heart-felt and stirring stuff. 

Finally, Day 5 and Friday dawned warm and sunny like every other day this week. We've been so lucky. The final nest and still two chicks alive and well. A fabulous way to end the week. I waved Roger and Justin off on the ferry and handed our Tobermory High School work experience student Michael back to his mum for safe keeping! What a week he'd picked to tag along.

Friday night I sunk into the sofa with a cold beer and watched some mindless TV. Ecstatic that the arrangements had all panned out so well and that we had so many healthy chicks to look forward to seeing flying in Mull's skies later this summer. Saturday saw the back give out and the agony kick in and so here I sit tapping away at the keyboard, ready for another dose of something strong.

The most satisfying moment was probably at Loch Frisa. Neither Frisa or Skye had any idea we'd even been near their nest and came straight back into feed their chicks as we departed. Now that's what I call precision timing. Goodnight... Wake me up if I snore....zzzzz......zzzzzzzzz.

Go to the live sea eagle webcam  in Estonia and click on White-tailed eagle TV / News and see how our friends also ringed their two chicks this week.

If you've ever thought of joining the RSPB but haven't quite go round to it yet, why not do it now?

Debby here - just adding a link to an article in the Sunday Mail about our oldest sea eagles on Mull http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2009/06/07/scots-sea-eagles-beat-old-age-to-hatch-rare-new-chicks-78057-21421942/