As I sit and type this, the rain is lashing against the window and its blowing a hoolie outside. By complete contrast, yesterday was a beautiful, warm sunny, spring day. On Wednesday we had snow and blizzards! There is a saying on Mull that you can experience all four seasons in one day - well it is certainly doing that at the moment - I daren't put the winter woollies away just yet!
Well what a week it has been. As well as working at the hide, I also help out with Mull Eagle Watch, doing shifts where I can to help watch Skye and Frisa and their precious eggs. Operation Easter is like a big neighbourhood watch where our most visible and vulnerable nests are watched 24/7. Sadly, in this day and age, there is still the threat from egg thieves but increasingly the threat is from disturbance. Volunteers come from all walks of life, both on and off the Island but with one aim - to protect our rarest bird of prey. This weekend we have been joined by air cadets and Duke of Edinburgh students who have been camped out around the Island in some really testing weather. They have done a stirling job and our thanks go to all the volunteers who help out in some form or another. It is also a great opportunity also to to just sit and watch the behaviour of the eagles and how they interact with each other, as well as spotting some of our other spectacular wildlife - golden eagle, hen harrier, black throated divers to name a few!
I was on duty on a day when we were experiencing complete white out conditions followed by spells of sunshine - really bizarre weather. Frisa was settled on the nest and Skye was sat in a tree just feet away. You could see the blizzard coming - Frisa hunkered down and Skye gripped the branch a little tighter - when it arrived they both took the full force of it - as quickly as it arrrived, it disappeared - Frisa stuck her head up and Skye was looking on as if to say "you ok dear - that was a nasty one!" Thoughout the course of the shift, we had several repeats of this episode - it was as if through thick and think they would see it through - together!
In complete contrast, the next morning saw a frosty start which then turned into a glorious day and as we arrived at the hide for the morning trip, we were greeted by our sand martins who had just arrived back from Africa! The change of temperature would be bit of shock for them. They didn't hang about and got straight on with the task of checking out their nests and bringing in new material. We also spotted both pairs of pied and grey wagtails - also re-visiting last year's nests to see what repair work is needed. I find this quite an exciting time of year - Spring is here (despite the snow) and the garden is coming to life, our spring migrants are starting to arrive - still waiting to spot a swallow - and there is an anticipation of what is to come! The geese that have spent the winter here start their journey north back to their breeding grounds to make way for the spring arrivals. I saw my first wheatear yesterday.
Greylag goose - photo Debby Thorne
Today, one of our regular readers, the Hilsons came and visited at the Hide. To say they were treated to a special display by Skye and Frisa is bit of an understatement. In between nest duties, both birds came over to say "hello", show off their beautiful white tail and gave a wonderful flying display in really strong winds. At one point, we saw Frisa suddenly drop out the sky, legs down as if to pounce on some prey, only to re-appear being chased by the ravens - she then turned and chased the ravens as if to say "now see what I can do". Pretty spectacular stuff. They were also treated to a vist from Dave to the hide - they have been to Mull several times and always seem to miss him, but today they finally came face to face and had a great chat in between watching some spectacular flying from the birds.
Well, I have to mention the polar bear! The amount of coverage the story received has been quite incredible - lots of people contacted us asking where they could see it - and of course we told them to take care as polar bears can be quite dangerous. Thank you to everyone who commented - but I will still keep my eyes open around Loch Na Keal - you just never know ......
Dont forget to keep up with the Estonian Webcam
Loch Frisa is a really special place with an abundance of wildlife from the eagles of course, the divers, sand martins, our first butterfly spotted on Friday (small tortoiseshell), hen harrier, goldeneye - the list just goes on. Dont just read about it, come and see it for yourself! Full details here Mull Eagle Watch
Debby Thorne
White Tailed Eagle Information Officer, Mull
Though apparently stuck down here in the lowlands, my heart remains in the 'spiritual' uplift of the Highlands. Each day brings a glimpse, 'in the mind's eye,' of the sea, the sunset on the horizon, the storms, the rocks, the mountains - and the birds. With apologies to Shakespeare. 'Sermons in stones...' up there in the mountains. Thanks for the gift of your words, Dave, Debby - and all you others, whether out there in person, or in thought - even 'just' as silent readers, in differing parts of the world, in this day and age. And thank you, eagles.