Breagha the beauty

In Gaelic, Breagha means 'beauty' or 'beautiful'. She was named by children from the Salen Primary School Gaelic Unit along with her brother Mara (meaning 'sea' or 'ocean'). That was back in July 2008 when Gordon Buchanan and BBC Autumnwatch helped us to fit the Loch Frisa siblings with satellite tags as part of a study into young white-tailed eagle dispersal from their nesting area. We've followed Breagha and Mara ever since. Sometimes their solar powered tags didn't send in the data when we wanted it. Maybe they were perched in thick forestry or the sun wasn't shining enough (can't believe that, I know) to charge the batteries. But then they were back and all was well. A fascinating and unique view into their young lives giving us useful new data to help protect them and all white-tailed eagles in the future.

I remember once when they both came together at Loch Ba and settled on a shingle spit. They flew away in opposite directions and I wondered what lay ahead for them both. Mara has spent much of the last three years on Morvern, around Loch Sunart and Loch Shiel. Breagha has spent most of her time on Skye, Raasay and back here on Mull. One day last year I watched her from my garden fly across Salen Bay and settle in a pine tree above the old boats. She was maturing into a fine sub adult - yellow beak, a whitening tail and a sunlit eye. I'd hoped she would carry on transmitting for a year or two more. The satellite tags are programmed to work for 3-5 years. It would have been fascinanting to know where she might settle. Would it be back on Mull or further afield? She seems to have taken a liking to the Isle of Skye...

Breagha - Salen Bay - photo copyright Bryan Rains

But now I doubt we will know. We know from sightings that her satellite tag had started to fall off as the straps are designed to do. But since May 22nd, her tag has stopped working. If you look at her movements before that date on the tracking map you can see she was behaving normally, the tag was working well and she was on the move, roosting on islands in the loch and generally doing what she should do. Perhaps the tag finally slipped off and dropped into the deep waters of the loch, never to be heard from again. And we hope beautiful Breagha flew on to continue her long life.

Breagha gave us so much. She let us into her secret world, if only for three short years and has unwittingly contributed hugely to our knowledge of young white-tailed eagle dispersal. We will now be able to look after those eagles who follow her in the years ahead. We wish her well and will continue to follow her 'little' brother Mara who is thriving. Let's hope his tag keeps going for another year or two. To re-live the BBC satellite tagging films on Autumnwatch 2008 visit the 'Holiday Mull & Iona' website www.holidaymull.com and go to the 'Mull Eagle Watch' pages. You'll see again and remember just how beautiful she was...and hopefully still is.

Breagha - from all of us - thank you for sharing your early life with the world.

I'm about to embark on a short journey of my own - across the USA, coast to coast  (meeting up with Skye and Frisa's distant cousins, the bald eagle). Catch up next month...

Debby it's all yours!

Dave Sexton RSPB Mull Officer