(Photo courtesy Iain Erskine)
the egg (s) they have been incubating for the last 38 days have finally hatched! Having endured persistent rain, Arctic blasts and a blizzard, Fingal and Iona have done an amazing job keeping the egg (s) dry and warm and are now feeding their young. At this moment, we do not know how many chicks they have as they are still tiny and safely cocooned within the nest cup or under an adult bird, but as soon as we know how many, we will let you know. Fingal and Iona have been kept busy as well as taking on the role of parents, they have been keeping a close eye on the young golden eagles that have been hanging around for several weeks now. This afternoon, Fingal was patrolling the ridge and at one point, all 3 goldies were close by, as well as the local buzzard. Fingal dropped like a stone out of the sky towards the buzzard who had got just a bit too close to the nest. It looked as if he was going to take the buzzard and we all held our breath as we watched him chase the buzzard until it was safely out of the area.
Some of you will be aware of the White tailed eagles in Estonia and the amazing webcam - they have managed to successfully hatch 3 chicks which is quite a rarity - make yourself a cuppa and settle down to watch Estonian Webcam
Golden Eagle - (photo courtesy Iain Erskine)
Don't forget, Mull Eagle Watch is located at 2 sites this year courtesy of South West Mull & Iona Development Trust and North West Mull Community Woodland - come and join us and watch the story unfold. Booking is essential via VisitScotland Craignure on 01680 812556.
You can read about Hope and Star here West Ardhu blog
Debby Thorne
RSPB Ranger, Isle of Mull