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.  



Mull - a bird spotters paradise and maybe another chick?

Last week started off with thoughts of possibly two chicks in the nest. Monday brought heavy rain and Iona sat on her nest for most of the day protecting her brood. Tuesday came bringing sunshine and we were able to see the head of one small chick.



Iona at the nest with chich just visible behind



 I was able to take some photos of both Iona and Fingal on the nest, which is now becoming full of various carrion such as Gull, Fulmar and rabbits. This pair of WTE are known for taking sea birds based on previous research when cleaning up and analysing the content of the nest at the end of last season.

On Wednesday we had mixed weather and had large groups at the hide, who were treated to some action in the afternoon, when what was described as a grey bird flew in past the nest.


Rainbow over Loch Na Keal



The nearby Ravens were also making a lot of noise. I went off for 10 mins to go and see what was going on. I saw a large bird sitting off down the Glen towards Loch Scridain but could not identify it.

I came back and reported this to the group and John Clare the RSPB ranger. Later that day four very keen gentlemen birders left the hide and subsequently reported seeing an Osprey on Loch Scridain. Ospreys are infrequent visitors to Mull so this was a great spot!

Thursday continued with yet more well attended groups including some new honeymooner's - we have had seven couples now so far this season.

On the way to work yesterday I saw a wonderful rainbow over Loch Na Keal and on the way home, I caught up with the four gentlemen who had spotted the Osprey on Wednesday. On this occasion they were watching three Golden Eagles over Ben More. They reported seeing so much wonderful wildlife during their week on the island and this was now their fourth consecutive year visiting Mull.

Wonderful news!

I'm delighted to say that Skye and Frisa are proud parents!

We're not sure how many chicks they have, although we suspect two, but we have had some wonderful views of Frisa tenderly feeding her offspring.

It always amazes me that such a large bird, with feet almost as big as my hand, can tear tiny pieces of food from the prey and gently place it into her chick's beak - a beak about the size of your fingernail.

Skye is busy playing the proud father and has chosen a roost very close to the nest tree so that he can guard his new family when he is not out hunting for them. Frisa spends her time rearranging the nest bowl so that it is comfortable for her chick(s) before settling herself gently down to keep them warm. Today the weather was cooler and there were some very heavy rain showers, so she was brooding her young very closely, but she did allow herself a little time away from the nest. As soon as she was certain that Skye had taken over in the nest, she did a small circuit before flying right over our hide - as if to tell us all the good news.

The adult birds will be very busy for the next few weeks, bringing in ever increasing amounts of food for their family. By eight weeks of age the chicks will be fully grown - an incredible growth rate - and they will spend the last three or four weeks growing their flight feathers to their full length and practising wing exercises on the edge of the nest. At around twelve weeks the chicks will be ready to fledge and the adults will be trying to encourage them to fly by perching in a nearby tree with food until the youngsters take that plunge into the unknown.

Skye and Frisa are not the first pair of Sea Eagles on Mull to hatch their chicks this year. You might remember the publicity in the press last year when a photographer got too close to another nest on the island, forcing the female to leave her eggs for well over an hour. The eggs chilled and failed to hatch and the photographer was charged with reckless disturbance and fined £600. This year the eagles built a new nest and last week their chicks hatched, so everyone is delighted.

Skye, who is 15 years old, and Frisa, 17, have been nesting on Loch Frisa for eleven years now, so they know their territory well and this year's nest is well positioned to keep intruders away. They are still harassed by the local Ravens, buzzards, Hooded Crows and Golden Eagles, and even the occasional juvenile Sea Eagle flies a little bit too close to the nest, but you can rest assured that both birds will guard the nest with their lives.

There will be plenty of activity over the weeks to come, so if you can get to the hide we'll be delighted to tell you all about it. If you can't make it to Mull this year keep watching the blog and I'll do my best to make you feel as if you are here with us.