Peaceful easy feeling

Wow. Where does the time go? All of a sudden, the harsh frost-filled icy winter is fading and spring is racing towards us like an eagle after a rabbit. The title of this blog (The Eagles 1972) doesn't exactly sum up this phase of stress and worry all of us feel as the white-tailed eagles settle down to nest again but it does portray the sense of satisfaction we feel when an old friend comes home.

Gazing out from our back garden across Salen Bay, the herring gulls were alarm calling and there, flapping hard across the bay was an immature sea eagle. A closer look with binoculars revealed the small tell-tale outline of a satellite pack. I felt the bird looked extra large - a female - and the pulse quickened. Could it be Venus emerging from the silence of the satellites? She landed in a huge oak and was immediately surrounded by a menacing gang of hooded crows which teased and goaded her. A passing gull swooped on her and she nearly lost her balance as the crows became ever bolder, even tugging at her tail. In a minute or two, we were round at the famous old boats in the bay and gazing into the trees trying to find her. As we inched forward, the crows gave her location away and there she was. A big female immature sea eagle but she was too pale and mottled to be Venus who is not yet a year old and would still look quite dark. This was a second year sea eagle which could only mean one bird: Breagha had come home! A momentary sadness at it not being Venus was soon filled with a pride and pleasure at seeing our beautiful Breagha. She flew strongly out over the bay and we lost sight of her.

Later in the afternoon on our way back from Tobermory, we stopped to scan the bay and there she was again. She was sitting on a skerry quite near the old boats and seemed to be carefully watching something in the water. I thought it might be all the common seals which regularly haul out on the rocks in the bay. But according to Bryan Rains of Wild About Mull tours who watched and photographed her earlier in the day, it was a fishing otter that she had her eagle-eyes on. Fabulous that she's learned this time honoured sea eagle tradition of letting the otters do all the work and then waiting for her chance to steal the prize. We took a few minutes just to watch her and admire her fine posture and noble, alert head, looking all around the bay. This was once a young, scruffy chick which RSPB climber Justin Grant had wrestled briefly with as he climbed into her nest and who cameraman Gordon Buchanan had helped lower carefully to the ground as he filmed the satellite tagging episode for the BBC's Autumnwatch in 2008. I had once touched and tried to calm this now healthy, relaxed young eagle sitting before us, wild and free, on a seaweed covered rock - back on the island she knows as home.

According to the satellite data just received from Roy Dennis, we know that when Breagha was on the nearby Morvern mainland recently, she will have crossed flight paths with her brother Mara. Perhaps they soared together for a few minutes in the clear, frosty air and then as Mara headed north to Rum and Canna, Breagha veered westwards and headed home to Mull - perhaps for a brief visit to Loch Frisa to see what mum Frisa and dad Skye were up to this year.

She was seen by regular Mull visitors Jenny and Chris heading seaward once more and then again heading west to Loch na Keal and finally gone from our gaze for who knows how long. Thankfully the satellite data helps us follow her every move even if we don't have the peaceful, easy feeling of watching her with our own eyes -  going about her business.

Breagha, aged nearly two, doing some otter watching on a skerry in Salen Bay - notice how pale and mottled she looks - her beak is beginning to lighten too.  Photo by Bryan Rains/Wild About Mull

Meanwhile, back in stress city, Frisa and Skye have finally settled on their choice of nests. It's actually where we thought they might be all along but to hear the very latest news about their next epic nesting adventure, you'll have to tune in next time. They have a long journey ahead of them but they would surely be very proud to know how well young Breagha is doing. Seeing her looking so good makes us feel good to have helped her a little bit along the way.

Dont forget you can follow the white tailed eagles in Estonia via their webcam Estonian Webcam

Dave Sexton

RSPB Scotland Mull Officer

Coming to Mull over Easter? Come and see us and the eagles at the Mull Eagle Watch hide at Forestry Commission Scotland's Loch Frisa by booking on a trip. Call 01680 812 556.