Dave Sexton, RSPB Scotland Mull Officer
Thanks as ever all for comments. Much appreciated. To answer a few recent queries:
the full name for these birds is the 'white-tailed sea eagle' so yes, 'sea eagle' and 'white-tailed eagle' are the same species. They are closely related to bald eagles in the US and the African fish eagle. And the pairs do stay together all year round. They're rarely very far apart although during the day, may go hunting alone. Their chicks will stay with them all autumn, even as late as January but by then will drift away rather than being chased away as we often read. Even when the adults are nesting again, juveniles or immatures are often tolerated quite close to the nest area. It's nice to think they may be more tolerant to their own chicks as the years pass, but somehow I doubt it. As young birds start to get their adult plumage, they are more likely to be aggressively seen off the territory as they then may be seen as more of a threat to the stability of that pair. Hope that answers everything for now. Stand by for the conclusion to the Springwatch saga...