As we'll see tonight on 'Autumnwatch', the process of fitting the satellite tags can be a stressful one for all concerned. We were very fortunate this year to have Justin Grant, who is very experienced and careful with handling young sea eagles in the nest whilst on the ground Roy Dennis was waiting to fit the tags. He is one of the few people in the UK able to do this and has decades of experience of handling birds of prey, especially eagles and ospreys (as many of you who read the Loch Garten blogs will know). We couldn't have had a better team assembled. Once the chicks have put up an initial impressive defense, they calm down rapidly and are quiet and relatively easy to handle. Both Mara and Breagha had their satellite tags carefully fitted by Roy. During the process, we fitted them with specially-made falconry hoods to calm them down even more and the whole job was over quickly. It's important that you know how we do it. The lightweight 70 gram packs are attached to a simple harness which fits comfortably around the wings and sits on the eaglet's back. It doesn't inhibit them in any way and they do not seem to spend any time trying to get it off or fiddling with it. It's just there from a relatively early age and is no more cumbersome than you or I wearing a wristwatch. The tape is carefully stitched together to hold it in place. This thread is designed to weather away after 3-4 years so the small pack falls off and can be retrieved from the hill wherever the satellite tells us it's lying. The eagle flies on and we can salvage the high-tech tag (each one costing £3000), carry out any maintenance that's needed and re-use it on another project. And in the meantime we have years of data to show how and where these young eagles go, all of which will help us in further sea eagle reintroduction projects across the UK.
Finally after the tags are safely attached, measurements taken and everyone's happy, we reverse the process and haul the eaglets in their soft canvas bags back into the safety of their nest. By this time, Frisa and Skye have long since given up calling and circling overhead. I can usually find them sitting together on the open hill or on a favourite tree. They may look less bothered but I know it's time we left. We need to leave them in peace now so they can quickly resume their normal feeding pattern. Just in case they take a bit longer to click back into normality, we always leave the chicks with a small offering - maybe a rabbit or two or some fish, just to see them through this brief disruption to their lives and routines. As the chicks are well developed by this stage and the adults are firmly bonded to them, there is no chance they will abandon them. That said, once we're all clear of the site and everyone else has departed, I wait and watch until one of the adults returns to the nest - just to be sure. The feeling of relief when either Frisa or Skye finally swoops down onto the nest and starts feeding a chick is hard to beat. Another year of essential monitoring work is almost complete and I can relax again. Those moments when I see the adults return to normal, feeding their young or preening nearby are some of the best bits of this job. I can pour a coffee from the flask, take a deep breath and start to enjoy life again. And I usually say to myself: "Never again!".
Update on Mara and Breagha: the latest satellite data shows that it was the male chick Mara who had the close encounter with the golden eagle on Ardnamurchan. Good on him! Meanwhile his sister Breagha seems to be conducting a tour of scenic attractions on the west coast of Mull - maybe MacKinnon's Cave, the Wilderness - anyone for Staffa? Both seem to be doing well. The map will be updated midweek. Today in stunning autumnal light, parents Frisa and Skye were together at the loch, perched one above the other in the beautiful yellow larches. On the loch were a small family group of recently arrived whooper swans, a party of wigeon and a few dabchicks. The perfect reflections of the hills in the still waters were the best I've seen them and then a lone red deer stag bellowed out his late rutting roar just below me. This is an amazing time to be on Mull - just don't tell anyone....
Dave Sexton RSPB Scotland Mull Officer
On Tuesday's 'Autumnwatch' come with us on the trip to fit the satellite tags - now you know how to do it! BBC Two 8pm
Dave Sexton, RSPB Scotland Mull Officer