After leading us a merry dance last week, Iona and Fingal, our pair of white-tailed eagles nesting in Tiroran Forest, Glen Seilisdeir on the Isle of Mull, have decided to nest in a different location this year. Finally, on Friday, they settled for a completely new nest site in a sheltered location in the broken top of a Sitka spruce and Iona hunkered down late in the afternoon to start laying eggs. Last years juvenile, Orion, even put in an appearance, watching his parents take up position on the nest.
After a wet winter, this last week on Mull has been sunny, and the birds have had time to take stock of the choices of nest location: they had re-built last years nest after it had slightly subsided on two occasions and were still roosting in the tree above until the last moment. Now comes the long anxious wait as they take it in turns to sit on the eggs, and we all hope that this year they raise at least two young successfully..
Luckily, even though the nest site is further away, there are great views down onto the nest from the hide and we have powerful telescopes to enable visitors to see Iona and Fingal tending the eggs. We are also able to see much more of the flight of the birds to and from the nest, and have the spectacular backdrop of Ben More, the highest mountain on Mull. Mull Eagle Watch trips start tomorrow, Monday 31st March, and run each weekday at 10am and 1pm. To book telephone 01680 812556 or check out the websites www.rspb.org.uk/datewithnature/mulleagles or www.forestry.gov.uk/mullseaeagles and check out www.facebook.com/mullseaeagles