Our chick is desperate to get up in the air!

We have had a mixed week of weather from sunshine to mist to rain and the chick has sat through all of this and at the same time wings flapping like mad !

During this week there has been a very International flavour at the hide with visitors from Wisconsin USA, Australia and families from from Austria & Germany.

Our male bird Fingal has been around a lot more this week flying in with food at regular intervals. Many small gosling have been eaten and often the nest if covered with white fluff and feathers! When Fingal lands on the nest, its like a hover craft coming in and blowing all the feathers up in the air, a sight to behold!

Iona watches over her chick at the nest

Iona has been sitting on the branch very close to the chick, to the right as you look at the nest. On Thursday, she sat there for five hours without flying off!

The hide will be open all summer until the end of August as the chick will stay in the area and they often come back on the nest for about a month, so please still come and see us.

Once the chick has fledged we will walk you through the Glen to observe all three birds.
Booking is a must and can be done by calling 01680 812556 or visit forestry.gov.uk/mullseaeagles for more info.

Blog published by Colin Baxter on behalf of Cheryl Callow, Mull Ranger

Mull is in bloom as our eagle chick grows



Our chick is growing up



After this weekend I returned to the hide to find the chick had grown another two inches and the nest had a new dead sea bird in it . The grey fluffy chick from last week was now darker in colour and looking more like a bird.

The activity on Monday afternoon after the public had gone home was interesting as both parent birds were calling out and in the background I could hear the mew of the buzzard that was flying close to the nest. At one stage it reminded me of being a young girl at London zoo, the noise was immense.



Yellow flag on Mull



The island has blossomed into the most wonderful colour as bluebells, yellow flag and iris’ are all out in bloom.

Its an amazing burst of colour that has happened in the last week. I spotted a yellow flag over looking Inch Kenneth as pictured.



Bluebells on Mull



We had some very good news that John Clare the RSPB ranger and myself,  passed our recent 'mystery shopper' examination who had visited during May bank holiday week.

Some questions and comments from the visit below -

Q Did a member of staff go out of their way to enhance the visit for you or another visitor ?

A "Both Cheryl and John were superb. They had passion for the site and were able to provide information either in answer to questions or as part of the tour. Both were outstanding in dealing with children."

We got 100 percent for staff service, skills and image.

Q One thing that could have improved this visit ?

A "Genuinely there was nothing that could have improved my visit."

 
So with that recommendation please come along and visit us!

Book ahead to avoid disappointment - www.forestry.gov.uk/mullseaeagles

Blogs posted by Colin Baxter on behalf of Mull Ranger, Cheryl Callow

Our chick is doing well, whilst other wildlife make an appearance

The weather has greatly improved here on Mull and the single chick has grown to about 18 inches tall , very white and fluffy and can be seen from behind the food larder on the nest.

The female bird Iona is often sitting in the tree above the nest looking down on the chick and taking time out herself. The chick is regularly fed from the dead carrion, very delicately by Iona pulling off small pieces of meat from the bird carcasses and fish.


White tailed eagle with raven intruder

We have not seen the ravens like we did previously which caused concern for her and us all last week.

I reported that a grey and white bird that flew through the nest was confirmed as an osprey and it was with great delight that Alison Palmer who had visited the hide and drove off round Loch Scridain after leaving the hide had a very close view of it flying near this loch and being very adjacent to an oystercatcher, great photos Alison and a big thank young.


Osprey and oyster catcher over Loch Scridain - by Alison Palmer 



Also on Loch Scridain we have had many reported sightings of otters and was true for too for Alison too, another great shot.



Otter in the water at Loch Scridain - by Alison Palmer

This is a magical island and if you love wildlife and photography then come to Mull and visit us at the hide.

A five star wildlife experince we are in demand, so don't delay, make your booking on 01680 812556.

In the first week of June we hope to be ringing the young chick and also taking a genetic saliva test for future reference.

The concern about wildlife has been taken by a Wildlife Stock just published on 22nd may 2013 and we must all do our bit to keep our species healthy, the five partners on the Isle of Mull come together to protect the white tailed sea eagles and other wildlife.

We are part of The Green Tourism Award and I will be blogging shortly on what that means for us and how you can help us with our award, we hold a silver award at present and hope to improve on that.

I hope you have been watching The Herbride's on BBC Scotland which you can still get it on iplayer. Last Monday's programme showed the nest from Glen Seilisdeir and the birds ,Iona and Fingal, were at the forefront of the programme, such great photography, do watch if you missed it.

The groups of people visiting us this week has been on average about 25 and we have managed to get most people in the hide to get some great shots on smartphones, digiscoping and many other cameras of all shapes and sizes.  



An abundance of wildlife in and around the hide

After a weekend of rain, the week started with yet more and the concern that the only chick had survived the conditions.

The beginning of the week saw Iona staying on the nest and Fingal bringing in sea birds as the main food source .

In the nest we saw Fulmars , Gulls and a female Eider duck stored around the nest edge .

From behind the food larder we could see one small wee fluffy white head popping up now and again. With the male bird keeping guard .

The road to work was very dramatic and at Gribun it has been spectacular with the clouds rolling in .

The reception hide has seen numerous siskins on the feeders in their bright colours . We are still waiting to capture a photograph of the Scottish crossbill .


Otters on Mull



The wood itself has some amazing views in both directions. On the walk to the west and then also, off to the east along a track, affording a view high up where there has been a new track established which shows the forest to us all .

Around the Loch nearby there have been sightings of short eared owls and otters captured by John Clare the RSPB ranger .

On Thursday we had the George Watson College attend the hide and they had a wonderful visit that included building the WTE nest demonstrated in the photograph attached - well done and come back soon .


Constructed white tailed eagle nest



Visitors young and old enjoy spectacular eagle sightings at our wildlife hide

In the first three weeks of the season, glorious weather has helped give visitors spectacular views of the nest and birds, from the viewing area that enables a close encounter with these majestic creatures. 

Positioned amongst the trees, the viewing area allows clear sightings, while providing enough cover to prevent disturbance of the nesting birds. 

Numerous people, varying in age from young children to people in their eighties, have watched the birds. There have already been visits by three honeymoon couples, our local MP, and the Environment Minister who presented a £ 6,261 cheque to Mull and Iona community groups, comprising the money raised from Mull Eagle Watch in 2012.  This brings the total to well over £ 50,000.

Many excellent photographs have been taken and reactions and feedback from all the visitors has been tremendous, with one man in his 60’s, who has been trying unsuccessfully to see an eagle for over 20 years, in tears.  Memorable moments so far have included the interaction of both adult birds on the nest with much rearrangement of nest material and calling. 

The presence in the sky above the nest for a short while of an ‘intruder’ white-tailed eagle juvenile from the east coast of Scotland also lead to much vocalisation, while the arrival at speed of a female sparrowhawk in the viewing area almost lead to agitation of a different kind.  Other highlights included close views of a treecreeper’s antics delicately picking insects from adjacent tree trunks above visitors heads and regular visits of a friendly robin, which kept everyone entertained.

All is looking well for an excellent season and we hope to post a range of images taken at the hide this year over the course of the next few months.

Mull Eagle Hide now open for 2013



Our first visitors of 2013 ready to enjoy their trip to the
eagle hide at Glen Seilisdeir 


The wait is finally over and the Eagle Hide on Mull is now open for the 2013 season.

The first visitors arrived on Monday 25th March and were joined by John Clare, the RSPB Ranger and Cheryl Callow, the Seasonal Ranger for the island.

The weather has been kind to Mull over the last year and although it has been cold we have not had the weather that has hit the Isle of Arran and Ireland.

Bookings to visit the hide are a must and you can reserve your place by calling 01680 812556. The trips will  run daily from Easter weekend to October and last approximately 2 hours, subject to availability.

Costs are Adults £6 (including RSPB members), under 16’s £3. Trips to permanent Mull residents are free.

Both Fingal  and Iona the resident White Tailed Sea Eagles are ready and waiting to greet you at the nest.

We look forward to welcoming you to Mull.

Mull Eagle Watch a Five Star wildlife attraction

Our new site at Glen Seilisdeir has proved to be a wonderful venue with great views of our Sea Eagle nest, a very popular open-air viewing hide and plenty of happy visitors.

We were delighted to receive our Silver accreditation from the Green Tourism Business Scheme, and now the icing on the cake is that we have been awarded five stars from Visit Scotland, making us one of only two wildlife attractions in Scotland with five stars.

Today is my last day for this season, although as I live on Mull I'll be keeping an eye on our eagles during the winter months - it's impossible to stay away! Fingal, Iona, Buidhe and Gorm are doing well (as are Skye, Frisa and Sunda) and all the other Sea Eagles on Mull - it's been a record year. Other raptors on the island have done well too, thanks largely to the lovely summer we have enjoyed - for once Scotland's west coast has enjoyed better weather than the rest of the UK.

Once again, thanks to our visitors, community groups on Mull and Iona will benefit from grants given out from the Eagle Fund. Around 50% of the hide income is divided between good causes on the island, with the remainder helping to protect all the Sea Eagle nests on Mull, and keeping the hide running.

So I hope you enjoy the pictures, with a wonderful sequence of a Sea Eagle fishing courtesy of one of our visitors - Chris Stone - who kindly gave us permission to use his fantastic shots. Goodbye for now, and all being well I'll be back next spring. Do visit us and enjoy one of the most spectacular wildlife experiences in the UK.

 

With best wishes, Sue Dewar, White-tailed Sea Eagle Ranger, Mull Eagle Watch





Mull School children with their life-sized eagle nest and, after all their hard work, relaxing on the eagle bench



Good news at Loch Frisa

Frisa perched near the loch
Photo - Iain Erskine

Before I update you with news from the Glen Seilisdeir hide, some good news from Loch Frisa.  Those of you who have been following our Sea Eagles over the years will know that this year we moved from Loch Frisa to Glen Seilisdeir, leaving Skye and Frisa in peace after a busy time of forestry operations along the loch.   I'm delighted to tell you that Skye and Frisa have fledged a healthy chick this year.




Meanwhile, back at Glen Seilisdeir our fledged chick is still backwards and forwards to the nest, her sibling is not quite ready to go yet, and we have been having great views of the whole family. The adults seem to be bringing in mostly sea birds, fish and the occasional rabbit to feed the youngsters at the moment.  Our fledgling is still bullying her brother(?) but Iona is making sure that he gets plenty of food. 

I'll write another blog in the next day or two with any developments, but in the meantime here are three wonderful photos given to us by visiting photographer Chris Stone, showing the fishing technique of these magnificent birds.

Drama at the nest

The Sea Eagle chicks are now seven weeks old and still growing rapidly. They are much more active on the nest now, pulling apart their own food when the adults are away although Iona still tries to feed them, tearing off tiny pieces of food as if they were still very small. Their diet has been very varied this week with fish, seabirds, pieces of a dead seal etc. and yesterday Fingal excelled himself by bringing in a mink. The chicks made short work of it but had to share it with their mother who is obviously very partial to mink.

We have yet to find out the sexes of the two chicks but, if I had to make a guess I would say that we have a male and a female as one chick is much bigger than the other and with only two days between hatching there would not usually be such a large size difference. The larger bird has already started standing on the edge of the nest and exercising its wings although it will be three to five weeks or more before it is ready to fledge. It's always a frightening time for those of us watching the nest when the chicks are wing-flapping as they stand right at the edge of the nest and it's a long way down if they slip.


Visitors at the viewing hide.  Photo Sue Dewar

Yesterday afternoon there was plenty of drama with the local Buzzard coming rather too close to the nest for comfort again. We can just hear the Buzzard chicks calling for food in the background, so the temptation for the adult to steal a piece of food from the eagle nest must have brought the adult Buzzard in.

It was not a good plan, though, as both adult eagles were at the nest and Fingal flew up, flipped over backwards with his talons in the air, and tried to grab the Buzzard. Although he didn't manage to catch it, the Buzzard got the message and took off with Fingal in hot pursuit. Our chicks are now much the same size as the Buzzard so we weren't worried that they were at risk, but the parent birds were outraged at the audacity of the smaller raptor trying to take the food that they had caught for their own chicks. It was an exciting time for our visitors and ourselves, but after half an hour everything had settled down and the nest returned to being a peaceful family roost.

Next week I am on annual leave so I can only imagine how much the chicks will have grown by the time I come back.





What - no food mum?

Another busy day at the eagle hide with the parent birds, Iona and Fingal, putting in more appearances at the nest than of late.  Yesterday we didn't see very much of our adults but they must have been busy hunting, as all sorts of food could be seen on the nest, including the intestines of a fairly large mammal which the chicks proceeded to play tug-of-war with whilst we were trying to eat our packed lunches!

Today the adults have been backwards and forwards to check on their youngsters, and probably to see how much food was left uneaten.  It would appear that there wasn't very much as Iona and Fingal have spent a lot of time out catching food.  This afternoon the female brought in a fairly large white bird - probably a gull - which she insisted on plucking before letting the chicks start to eat.  The local Buzzard was showing a lot of interest in the nest too, prompting the adults to return frequently to persuade it not to come too close.



The six-week old chicks on the nest with Iona nearby
Photo: Sue Dewar

 When Iona flew in late this afternoon she had a quick check on the nest to satisfy herself that all was well, before flying to a nearby branch.  It was easy to see the chicks' disgust as they tottered around on the nest searching for food. Eventually, they decided there was nothing much to eat and settled back down for yet another snooze. 

And a final note - we heard today that our White-tailed Sea Eagle family at Glen Seilisdeir will feature on tonight's final episode of Springwatch, starting on BBC2 at 8pm.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Mull Sea Eagles go green (and silver!)

Following our recent assessment for the Green Tourism Business Scheme (run by Visit Scotland), I'm delighted to say that we have been awarded a Silver award for the Eagle Hide. I'm told that it is not often for a Silver to be awarded at the first attempt so we are very proud.

Although we don't need to generate much electricity, our TV monitor and CCTV camera with all the attendant wiring are run from our bank of solar panels, and we have the option of a small wind turbine if we need any further power.

Over the last two weeks we have been visited by primary school children from all over the island and they have had a great time watching our rapidly growing chicks on the nest, learning the story of the White-tailed Sea Eagles and impressing us with their own knowledge of the eagles and other birds of prey on the island. Before going to the viewing hide the children built a life-size eagle nest out of branches, twigs and sprays of foliage collected from the forest.


Lochdon School sitting on

the nest frame before building


The children had great fun building the nest and all were surprised at the size of nest needed for the adult Sea Eagles and their rapidly growing offspring. Iona and Fingal's nest is about 2m across by 0.75m deep, and is extended every year the birds use it. By the time the children got to see the eagles through our telescopes they had realised just how much work the adult birds had to do before they could lay their precious eggs.

 

The hide continues to be as busy as ever, and our two chicks are now five weeks old. Both are doing well, and I hope to have more news of them when they have been ringed.




Ulva Ferry School with
their finished nes

 In the meantime, if you are planning a visit to the hide please book as far ahead as possible as most of our trips are filling up very quickly, and we don't want anyone to be disappointed.

Stop Press: We have been told that the footage taken by Iolo Williams at our hide will appear on the BBC Springwatch programme on Monday 11th June (or possibly later that week).



Four stars for our eagle family

We have just heard that Visit Scotland have awarded us four stars at the new Glen Seilisdeir hide - the same as we were granted at Loch Frisa!


Iona feeding one of the chicks  Photo: Sue Dewar

Our chicks are growing rapidly - instead of fluffy white heads and bodies they now appear grey where the adult feathers are just beginning to show through under the down.

On one day last week the rain poured down incessantly and the adult birds took turns in brooding the youngsters, only standing up to feed them whilst spreading their wings like umbrellas to shelter them from the wet. I am beginning to think that Sea Eagles have an inbuilt weather forecast as the previous day they brought in loads of food including what looked like a large rabbit, so there was plenty for the whole family to eat, even if the weather was too bad to allow the adults to hunt.

 

Iona and Fingal above the nest
Photo: Sue Dewar

 On Friday the adults spent the day warding off two cheeky hooded crows who were either trying to steal food (or maybe the chicks) from the nest, or constantly dive bombing the adults. Each time they appeared Iona called loudly and Fingal was heard calling back from a short distance away. He then flew in to the nest with the crows in hot pursuit, even making contact from time to time.

Eventually the crows gave up after several skirmishes, and the adults decided that the chicks could have the nest to themselves for a while, but neither of them were prepared to leave altogether, and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on branches above the nest keeping watch. The chicks no longer need brooding all the time; they will be three weeks old this week and have been able to regulate their own body temperature for almost a week now. By the time they are four weeks old they will be beginning to look like Sea Eagles and will start playing tug-of-war with their food.

This week we have our first school visit of the season from Lochdon Primary School, and the forecast looks promising so we should have good views of the eagles and plenty of fun outside.

 

Peace reigns at Glen Seilisdeir

All is well at our Sea Eagle nest, and Iona and Fingal are the proud parents of two healthy chicks. They are almost two weeks old and are growing rapidly. At three days old we were already seeing wobbly, fluffy white heads bobbing about in the nest - now there are the first signs of grey showing through the white. The heads have stopped wobbling and are now expertly aiming for mum's beak - provided it is full of food!

To begin with Iona did all the brooding of her new family, with Fingal in charge of catching their food, but now both adults take turns. So far the chicks have been fed mainly on fish and seabirds such as Fulmars. To begin with the parent birds tore off tiny pieces of food to offer to their chicks, their enormous beaks bigger by far than the chicks' heads. With each day the morsels of food are getting larger and the chicks are getting greedier - it really isn't surprising that by eight to nine weeks they will be fully grown, and in ten weeks' time they will be ready to leave the nest.

As you can see by the photograph (taken for us by islander Alan Jack) the nest is very exposed, of necessity because with a wingspan of 2.4 metres the adults have to be able to spread their wings before launching themselves from the tree. You can just see Iona's pale head as she broods her charges on the nest.

To give you an idea of size the nest is about two metres across and just over half a metre deep, with a nest cup where the chicks lie and a built up surround so they are safe from falling. Over the last weekend the weather on Mull was atrocious and we were very concerned for the chicks' safety. Strong cold wind and heavy rain can be lethal for young birds and it was with some concern that we arrived on Monday to see if the nest was still intact with its precious contents. Thank goodness it was and as the weather warmed and the sun came out we were very relieved to see that all was well.

Last Friday we were visited by an assessor from the Green Tourism Business Scheme, and we are now awaiting our grading. All our power is provided from solar panels, and we strive to be eco-friendly in all that we do, so we hope that the assessor was impressed with what he saw.

The hide has been really busy, and everyone loves the new format. As the chicks grow we will see more and more activity at the nest, so if you are heading to Mull this summer do come to see us.

First white-tailed eagle chick hatches at Mull hide



Mull's White Tailed Eagles

The first white-tailed eagle chick of the year at the Mull Eagle Watch hide has been spotted by rangers.

It’s hopeful that a second egg is in the nest and that the proud parents, Iona & Fingal, will have another chick to look after in couple of days.

For the past 38 days, the adult birds have taken turns in incubating the eggs, sitting very low on the nest.

First indications that something had changed was on Tuesday this week when the female was sitting higher up on the nest. She was also fidgeting and fussing with the eggs so it was clear that a new arrival was coming.

Sue Dewar, White-Tailed Eagle Ranger with Mull & Iona Ranger Service said:

“We are thrilled to bits at the news and we are keeping our fingers crossed that all goes well with the remaining egg.

“It was on Wednesday afternoon that we first witnessed Iona, the female adult, bending her head down and gently feeding the chick.

“Tiny morsels of food were torn off by her huge beak and were delicately fed to her new chick. Iona was also very careful to keep her talons well out of the way so as not to put the chick in any danger.

”The new arrival is great news for the birds but also for Mull as so many people come to witness these massive and magnificent birds.”

Fingal, the male, was not seen during the afternoon the new chick arrived and was most likely to be off hunting to feed his new family.

If the female takes a break from her new duties the male adult will take over until she returns. If there is a second egg it could hatch in the next couple of days, as eagles lay eggs two or three days apart, but sit from the time the first egg is laid.

Dave Sexton, RSPB Scotland’s Mull Officer added:

“Whilst breaking out of the egg is one of the toughest parts of an eagle’s life, the next 10 days is also critical as they must be brooded by an adult at all times to avoid hypothermia. So Mull Eagle Watch and the CCTV will still be running 24/7 to ensure Fingal & Iona and their new family are not disturbed in any way”

Mull Eagle Watch is run by a partnership consisting of Forestry Commission Scotland, Mull & Iona Community Trust, RSPB Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Strathclyde Police.

Part of the income from trips to the hide is put into a fund which is available to the islanders for local community projects. A recent survey reported that the white-tailed eagles alone bring in £5m annually to Mull’s economy, which is hugely important to the island.

All over the island, Mull Eagle Watch’s dedicated team of volunteers have been watching the eagles’ nests to ensure that no-one gets too close as the birds will leave the nest if they are disturbed by anyone – deliberately or inadvertently.

Because the Mull Eagle Watch are constantly on the lookout for egg thieves, nests are watched for 24 hours a day and this year CCTV is also being used with other high-tech equipment to back up our volunteers.

Once the chicks are hatched there are still problems from the very occasional photographer who wants to get closer than is comfortable for the birds, and two such people were prosecuted last year for ignoring instructions not to go too close. Fortunately on that occasion the chick survived, but only because volunteers and police reacted quickly.

The hide at Glen Seilisdeir is open Monday to Friday from April to the end of September, running two trips a day. White-tailed eagle rangers will tell the story of the eagles’ extinction and subsequent reintroduction, and then escort visitors to an outdoor viewing hide just 300m from the nest. Booking is essential on 01680 812556.

Have they, or haven't they?



Sea Eagle in flight - photo courtesy of Alan Jack

 This week we are playing the waiting game. Our egg(s) are due to hatch any time now and everytime the on-duty adult stands up on the nest, we wait with baited breath to see a tiny, wobbly white head, or the other adult bringing in food.

Yesterday afternoon the weather was superb (as it has been for over two weeks now), and the conditions were perfect for a precious Sea Eagle chick to come into the world. But the adults seemed to be just turning the eggs and then settling down to incubate again.

Maybe they could hear the first chick cheeping inside the egg as it started to break its way out using the tiny egg tooth on the top of its beak. Or maybe not! Eggs can easily take 36 hours to hatch, so, like Iona and Fingal, we must be patient and wait for that first feed!

We can't help thinking back to last year, when the beginning of May saw horrendous winds sweep the west coast of Scotland, and the eagle nests were all checked the next morning. We were convinced that at least one nest tree would have come down, but no, everything was intact and Mull's Sea Eagles successfully fledged 11 chicks in 2011.

We suffered even stronger winds over the winter months with one gust on Mull recorded at 165 mph. Surely some of the eagles would have to build new nests this year to replace those damaged? Sea Eagles are obviously better nest builders than we give them credit for as most nests survived. One nest did collapse and the following day the eagles there carried out a hurried repair job - only for the winds to return and the new nest be blown out of the tree too. But Sea Eagles are resilient birds and it's always surprising to see how quickly they put their nests together.

The new "wild hide" - photo courtesy of Alan Jack

Our new viewing hide, set into the woodland, is proving a huge success. Everyone says they feel closer to nature, and the smell from the pine trees is all-pervading. The shading at the front of the hide means that the eagles can't see us although they know we are there.

Occasionally they will hear something and if we happen to be looking through a telescope at the time we see a beady pale lemon eye staring back at us.

With luck we will soon be watching food being brought in for the chick(s) by the parents, and then tiny slivers will be torn off and fed tenderly to their offspring. I wonder if we'll have a hatching today?

Glad to be back!

After what seems like a very long (and extremely wet) winter, I'm finally back watching eagles and sharing the experience with our visitors at our wonderful new location.


Our resident pair of Sea Eagles have been named Iona and Fingal, and are proving just as devoted parents as Skye and Frisa did at Loch Frisa. Iona (the female), previously known as Green T because of her wing tag which she lost this winter, was reared on the Isle of Skye by her parents who were from the first release of Norwegian Sea Eagles on the Isle of Rum. After fledging in 1998, Iona was first seen on Mull in 2001. Fingal (the male) was part of a second release scheme and was brought over from Norway in 1997 with 9 other chicks. All 10 were released on Wester Ross. Fingal was originally known as Blue 6, but lost his tags in 2006. Following his early visits to Mull. he paired up with Iona in 2002. After a couple of false starts the pair finally fledged one chick in 2005, and have successfully fledged five chicks in total.


Our new set-up at Glen Seilisdeir is very different from Loch Frisa - we still have a wooden hide where visitors can listen to our introductory talk inside (if it's raining), and pick up leaflets, booklets and make any purchases. We then drive half a mile along the track to our viewpoint car park where we all carefully close car doors and make sure no car alarms have been set, before silently walking 100m to our viewpoint - an outdoor hide just 300m from the nest! As I write the eggs are just over three weeks through incubation, so in around two weeks we should spot the first food being brought in and tiny morsels gently fed to a tiny fluffy white chick. With luck a second chick will hatch a couple of days later.


Our "rustic" hide is a clearing in the forest, expertly prepared with a thick layer of wood-chip on the ground, shielded from the eagles' view with a screen of spruce prunings and set up with spotting scopes and binoculars so that all our visitors get the best possible view of the eagles. And what views they have been getting! We watch the adult birds taking turns at incubating the eggs, carefully rearranging sticks on the nest, and preening their loose white body feathers prior to going through their full moult. Iona usually does the night shift, with Fingal coming in to relieve her in the morning and then they take turns to incubate the precious egg(s) during the day.


Recently whilst Fingal was incubating he must have become a bit "peckish" because he suddenly took off and flew towards Loch Beg. Our hearts were in our mouths as there was no sign of Iona and the eggs would chill if they were left for long. We timed his absence and after just three minutes Fingal returned with a large fish, settled himself back on the nest and proceeded to eat his catch. He must have been able to see the fish from his position on the nest, and temptation must have got the better of him!


All our visitors are thorougly enjoying the experience, especially the "wild" hide where they can really feel at one with nature.

New hide at Glen Seilisdeir is a hit!

We are certainly back! This is our second week at our new hide location at Glen Seilisdeir, the home to Blue 9 (male) and Green T (female), since 2002. Trips are proving very popular and the birds are being very well behaved. The eggs (not quite sure how many) have been laid and both birds and taking it in turns to tend to them lovingly.

The weather too has been quite kind over this Easter week, which makes life much more pleasant for the bird sitting on the nest. From their viewpoint high in the conifers they have a 360 degree view of Glen Sheilisdair (Glen of the Iris) and could not want from more scenic views from the nest site. With a backdrop over the tree tops to Ben More and views out to Loch Scridian and the Ross of Mull it is a fantastic location. Their location provides an ideal food source both for themselves and their future chicks, with the sea only a short distance to north and south and surrounded by moorland.

The whole trip experience is proving very popular with a short talk at the hide followed by a foray into the 'wild woods'. The location from where you see the nest is very much a woodland experience, it is almost like entering into a woodland den, the children just love it and it has real at one with nature feel.

To share in this wonderful experience, booking is essential. The bookings can be made at the Craignure Tourist Information Centre or on 01680812556. Ranger led trips run Monday to Friday 10 am and 1pm.

For those that have followed the blog in previous years Frisa and Skye are well and living quietly up Loch Frisa, but due to ongoing forest management they are both having 'time out' or as actors would say 'resting' but very much so getting on with family life, and we hope to be able to give you updates on how they are both doing as the season progresses.

Mull sea eagles new location for 2012!

Viewing the Mull sea eagles from the hide

We are excited to be welcoming visitors to our brand new location at Glen Seilisdeir (pronounced Shellister – meaning ‘Glen of the Irises’) for the 2012 season. The new hide is now our main viewing point after a successful low key trial last year.

Due to ongoing timber haulage at Loch Frisa, the decision was taken that it was no longer suitable for sea eagle viewing so here we are, ready to welcome people to our new patch.

The new meeting point is off the 'scenic route', the B8035 Salen Road and is well signposted. Trips begin on Monday 2nd April, taking place daily at 10am and 1pm.

We look forward to welcoming sea eagle fans both old and new to Glen Seilisdeir, and look forward to another busy visitor season.

For more information on our new location, visit our web pages. You can also follow all the latest developements throughout the season on Twitter @skyeandfrisa