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 about upto the top of its legs in the loch. Time and again it ducked its head under the water and had a bit of a splash about; this was maybe its first attempt at a bath. We've often seen Frisa and Skye bathing in the shallows. Then it would jump and pounce and grab a stone, 'kill' it and then jump on another one. Very amusing to watch and the nearest thing I've seen to sea eagle 'play'. Eventually, it got bored with that game and went back to perch on the fence post, drying its wings in the afternoon sun. I'm wondering if one chick is already more independent than the other. One always seems happy to feed itself and generally fend for itself while the other is still food begging and following the adults about. I'm just not sure who is who, as the size difference between the bigger female Breagha and her smaller brother Mara doesn't seem very pronounced at the moment. I hope we've got the sexing right... They also seem to spend less time together than previous twins of Frisa & Skye. Itchy & Scatchy in 2005, both males, were inseperable for months as were Haggis & Oatie in 2006 (also both males). Maybe brother and sister just don't get on so well? The day ended with Frisa & Skye perched together, preening in their favourite larches and enjoying the late afternoon sun. A perfect scene of parental contentment.
Dave Sexton RSPB Mull Officer