courtesy Simon and Garfunkel
Well we arrived home yesterday evening after a great week over on Speyside and the Black Isle. We had some great views of the osprey family at Loch Garten who are doing really well. I also love seeing the red squirrels too - something we don't have on Mull! We then travelled up to the Black Isle for a few days - I can nearly say I swam with dolphins - in fact I had my trousers rolled up to the knees and was stood in the sea at Chanonry Point with dolphins swimming all around - what an incredible experience. And as we set off for home yesterday morning, we were treated to a fantastic view of the red kites.
Today has been taken up with the usual mountain of washing and returning to normality but by this afternoon I could stand it no longer and had to drive up to Loch Frisa to see how our eagles were doing.
As you drive along the track towards the hide, there is a stretch where the Loch comes into view and the whole glen opens up before you - it still takes my breath away and this afternoon, the sun was glistening on the loch and it looked just as stunning as ever.
At first glance, no sign of any eagles, only our friendly buzzard hunting for an afternoon snack - I felt slightly deflated half expecting a welcoming committee. I trudged down to the forward hide and was quite taken aback to see Frisa flying low across the Loch with some food and deliver it to our female chick. Fantastic! Frisa then went down to the water's edge where she proceeded to bath in the Loch. She then flew up into one of her favourite roosting trees and spread her wings out to dry - just like a cormorant. I watched our chick feeding and after she had finished, stared up at mum as if to say "I've eaten all my dinner - what do I do now?". I felt a pang for the lost sibling as she sat alone looking around her. I stayed and watched for a while content in the knowledge that she is doing well.
As from Monday 20th July, the Hide will be open Monday to Friday (closed Saturdays and Sundays). There is a new telephone number to book trips 01680 812556. The trips will still run at 10.00 and 1.00 (booking essential!). The meeting point is still at the Aros end of the Loch Frisa track.
Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to meet some of you and show you our eagles. Incredibly, as I sat in the Boat of Garten Village Hall, last Monday listening to Richard Thaxton speaking, a couple came up to me and said hello, they had been at the hide the previous Tuesday and as I was about to dip my toe in the sea at Chanonry Point, a lady came up and said "hello Debby - how are the eagles?" - what a small world we live in!
Debby Thorne - White Tailed Eagle Information Officer, Mull
You may have noticed that comments have been disabled on our blog - this is to enable our web team to set our some new software which should hopefully be completed by tomorrow - all is well at Loch Frisa - great view of our chick today and a lovely flight - more to follow when software has been sorted - Debby
Dave and Debby probably know about this article, but it may interest the rest of you to see this from The Irish Times, on Saturday: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2009/0718/1224250640516.html And don't forget to sign the Irish petition against the poisoning of eagles on the website mentioned there, at http://www.goldeneagle.ie/portal.php?z=197
Great to have you back Debby and can fully understand the urge to get out and make sure that all's well in your 'eagle world'. And it is, what more could you want - great holiday and come back and everything is just how you wanted it to be - life carries on. I asked Dave how many chicks you have on Mull this season and was amazed to hear that there are 10! Can't wait to hear about little Half Pint's next move.
Welcome back Debby, I'm so glad you got a lovely view of mum and chick to put your mind at rest.
It sounds like you had a great holiday....wonderful, just what you needed.
I will try to get my husband to agree to a trip to Mull one year to see the Sea Eagles, as the only time we have been before, was across the Island on the way to get the ferry to Iona.
I thought then it was a lovely place and would love to come back one day.
Thanks for reply, now I remember. We visited the east coast of Scotland and camped there but never saw any the few days we were there visiting John o groats/Inverness, this was about 19 years ago no wonder I forgot the name of the point at the end of our campsite.
Glad to hear that you saw Skyes and Frisas daughter eating well. Jillian.
Hello Debby, sorry I mixed you up with Claire at LG when I did a blog for Dave this week.
Glad you enjoyed seeing the ospreys at LG. Can you tell me where is Black Isle and the point you saw dolphins is ?
We will be up visiting LG, Skye, Harris, Lewis then down to Mull on our way back to Southern England on leaving Bournemouth on Saturday 25th July for two weeks, so thought we may see the dolphins depending where they are, might they be off Skye? JILLIAN.
Reply: Hi Jillian - The Black Isle is actually a peninsula on the East Coast of Scotland - if you head for Inverness, then cross the Kessock bridge that takes you onto the Black Isle and the dolphins are at Chanonry Point which is on the Black Isle