We were all thrilled when we were able to confirm that one of our original satellite tagged white-tailed eagle chicks Mara had settled to establish a territory of his own. It was even more exciting when we also confirmed that he had paired up with a female from the east coast project 'somewhere on the Scottish mainland'. You may have seen him on BBC Springwatch in June after cameraman Mark Yates managed to capture some…

"Drinking in the morning sun, blinking in the morning sun"

Frisa felt stirrings beneath her. The first time had been in the middle of the night. If the moon had been full and bright she may even have stood up there and then to see what was happening but in the darkness of a moonless April night, she sat low and tight until dawn.

Skye was unusually keen to arrive at the nest at daybreak to take over his incubation…

Breaking news:

Skye and Frisa proudly announce the successful fledging of their healthy, bouncing, miracle chick. She weighs in at about 6kg, plumage and eyes are brown and she's already taken her first wobbly flaps. Mum, dad and chick all doing well.

Blog to follow but for now raise your glasses to Skye, Frisa and ????

Dave Sexton RSPB Scotland Mull Officer

Mull Eagle Hide: 01680 812 556

courtesy R Kelly

Well I'm sat at the computer with a huge grin on my face.  Our chicks were 11 weeks old last week and the average age of fledging for white-tailed eagles is between 10 and 12 weeks.  The larger of the 2 chicks (quite possibly a female but we await DNA results to confirm) has been doing some serious wing flapping for several weeks now.   At the beginning of the week she took her first tentative steps…

Well - I cant believe how quickly the time has flown this year.  It doesn't seem like 5 minutes that we were announcing Iona (our female) and Fingal (our male) were incubating and then the great news we had a hatching!  Over the last 11 weeks we have watched their two chicks develop from 2 little white fluff balls into a pair of very healthy, almost full grown white-tailed eagles.  And what stunning birds they are!

Stop press: 18 chicks found in nest at Glen Seilisdeir!

Well 18 pupils to be exact! This week we were delighted to welcome the P4-P7 pupils and teachers from Bunessan Primary School.  The children (and teachers) were very excited and after a talk about the eagles, we set off very quietly to the very special viewing area where they would be able to see the chicks in the feathers so to speak!

We headed off down the…

Well - if anyone of you were driving home from work this evening listening to Drivetime with Simon Mayo on Radio 2, you will have heard Dave talking about eagles! Yesterday's guest on the show was Glenn Frey from the band The Eagles (our favourite group of course!) - so this evening Simon wanted to go one step further and talk about the feathered variety.  If you missed it, here is a link to it - if you fast forward…

courtesy Belinda Carlisle

Fingal and Iona's chicks are now coming up to 8 weeks old - where has the time gone?  They have been fitted with their snazzy leg rings - so they now have a unique number.  Let's hope no-one ever has to ring the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) phone number that is printed on the leg ring, in case found.  This week, the pupils from Bunessan Primary School are visiting the hide and…

By 2004, all the signs looked good for Fingal and Iona for their next breeding attempt. Their nest from the previous year had been added to significantly; huge sticks were carefully woven in or just plonked on top of each other and by mid March Fingal was carrying in great clumps of white hill grass - Molinia - to line the nest in preparation for egg laying. As he landed with yet another pile, Iona tugged it away and…

(apologies to the Pointer Sisters!)

Well - its happened! Fingal and Iona are now the proud parents of two eaglets. Last week we were pacing the floor - watching for any hint of a change in behaviour.  Indeed on Monday, Iona, our female, was very fidgety and kept looking down into the nest.  Then on Tuesday, Fingal, her mate, did the same.  There was also evidence of food on the nest, a sure sign things were imminent.  And…

Just days after their first successful hatching in 2003 and hearing those chick feeding calls from the eyrie, the forest that morning seemed unusually quiet. On approaching my concealed observation point hidden in the trees, I could sense something was possibly wrong. A raven flew low over the tree top nest, but there was no reaction from Iona. Normally she would have called out in alarm or Fingal would have given chase…

Whilst the numerous unfaithful osprey pairings around the UK go about their daily soap opera shenanigans, our rock steady pair of white-tailed eagles, Fingal and Iona, stick to what's important in life: their eggs - their future. These amazing birds have known each others funny ways for a decade or more and have seen each other through thick and thin for many years. And they really know what matters: each other. They…

courtesy Black Eyed Peas

We are back!  Today was the first day at our new location in Glen Seilisdeir on the western side of the Island.  Set against the stunning backdrop of Ben More, with lochs, forestry, plantations, we are in fantastic eagle country.

Due to ongoing forest management, Skye and Frisa  will be stepping (or flapping!) out of the limelight for a while - they are fine and we will bring you news on them…

Down through the ages, there are certain white-tailed eagles who you remember more than others. A bit like people really. Some are real characters; some have big adventures that make them stand out from the crowd and a few are just, well, special. Don't get me wrong, they're all special! But a handful have an extra special place in my heart.

Contrary to popular belief we don't name them all! A few have ended up…

You may recall Dave took a well earned Sabbatical earlier this year.

Here is a link to the article he wrote. http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/b/scotland/archive/2011/09/05/from-sea-to-shining-sea.aspx

regards

Debby

(courtesy of The Police)

Sorry for the title - I can hear the groans from here! 

Many of our visitors have been completely enthralled by our family of barn owls.  You may recall, a couple of posts back, the 3 chicks had their leg rings put on and were put back in the nesting box.  Well less than a week later, the 2 larger of the chicks decided it was time to leave home.  Things had got cramped in the box as the youngsters…

Well for those of you who follow us on Twitter, @skyeandfrisa - you will have seen that something went on at Loch Frisa this afternoon.

Well to be honest, it really started yesterday.  As you may have seen on the weather forecasts, we have been experiencing some really blustery, showery weather, in between bouts of blue sky and sunshine.  This is great weather for birds of prey - they love to come out in between the showers…

(no alas - its not a song title- couldnt come up with one to fit!)

Some of you may have heard by now the fantastic news that Somerset and Carolyne Charrington from Treshnish Farm on Mull won the RSPB Telegraph Nature of Farming Awards.  As you can imagine we are all absolutely over the moon - Congratulations to Carolyne and Somerset who do a wonderful job out at Treshnish.  A huge thank you to everyone who showed their…

(courtesy Freddie Mercury & Queen)

I wanted to write this blog last evening but the computer had other ideas!  I would have started writing about the weather - how glorious it was yesterday, sunshine, blue skies and warm too.  Here we are - 24 hours on and we are in the throes of gale force winds and lashing rain - as the song says "what a difference a day makes!"

Yesterday was pretty spectacular at Loch…

He had that same carefree swagger that I remember. I could see that 'I don't give a damn' glint in his eye. Everything about him said: 'don't mess with me' but still there was a deep vulnerability and an occasional lack of confidence. It made me respect him even more.

But there he was in front of me. KELLAN IS BACK! The accident-prone, 2010 Mull white-tailed eagle chick - who broke a wing, a leg…

(courtesy the Moody Blues I think!)

Well, I normally start with the weather and so delighted to report its been sun, sun and more sun.  We have been thoroughly spoilt on Mull for the last few weeks.  Beautiful clear blue skies and warm sunshine - almost a heatwave with the garden thermometer reaching 30.9°C - Dave wont believe it when he returns.

As usual, this is a really busy time on Mull - the English schools have…

Well, I can't believe I am writing this but Mull has been experiencing some real summer weather - it has been warm and sunny and many of the lochs have been like glass - hardly a breath of wind to cause even the tiniest ripple.   I have never seen so many dragonflies - the golden ringed variety and butterflies everywhere.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have not been able to run trips to Loch Frisa but instead…

In Gaelic, Breagha means 'beauty' or 'beautiful'. She was named by children from the Salen Primary School Gaelic Unit along with her brother Mara (meaning 'sea' or 'ocean'). That was back in July 2008 when Gordon Buchanan and BBC Autumnwatch helped us to fit the Loch Frisa siblings with satellite tags as part of a study into young white-tailed eagle dispersal from their nesting area. We…

(courtesy Chris Rea)

I always seem to start my blogs by commenting on the weather, so here we go!  It has certainly been a right old mix with days of blue sky and sunshine, followed by grey, wet days that make it feel like November.  It is really odd when you hear about the really warm dry weather other parts of the UK have been experiencing and yet, on a couple of evenings we have had to light the fire.  The schools on…

Kellan came into our lives on 25 April 2010. Watching from afar, we thought there had been a hatch. His mum, Yellow Black Spot (YBS) was restless, fidgety. Up and down, looking into the nest. Something had changed. Two days later we confirmed it. YBS was feeding Kellan. Delicate, tiny strips of fish from a friendly boat operator on the sea loch below. His dad was a regular visitor, taking advantage of this helpful opportunity…