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.  



It's a waiting game for the appearance of eagle chicks here on Mull

This week has been a very quiet week at the hide and we are playing the waiting game .

Our eggs are due to hatch any time now and everytime the adult bird on duty stands up on the nest we are waiting to see if the chicks have hatched!

The weather this week has been very mixed and the last three days have seen heavy showers and the temperature dropping to 4C which is quite cold.

The adults seem to be just turning the eggs and settling down to incubate again. Eggs can easily take 36 hours to hatch so we must all be patient and wait and see. John and i will be watching for any change in behaviour around the adults.

Last year the Mull Sea Eagles successfully fledged 19 eagle chicks with a total of 60 on the west Coast of scotland.

Our view from the hide is from the forest directly in front of the nest at a safe distance so as not to disturb the birds. Within the hide you get some excellent views of the nest and you feel close to nature, with the smell of the pine and clean air. It give you the ambiance of being close to the Eagles. The shaded area of the hide that you look out from gives great protection from disturbing them.


Some of our visitors in the hide


As you look out at this enormous nest you cannot help but feel privelaged to witness a very rare bird that has been reintroduced successfully into it's natural habitat.

Occassionally we hear the call of the male eagle Fingal as he does a fly past just before a change over on the nest or whilst roosting on a tree near by.

Iona the female eagle often looks up to the sky, with that beautiful large golden eye, keeping a check on Fingal and any one else close to the nest.

This week we have not seen any extra birds brave enough to fly into the nest like last week!

I hope to have some good news for you all next week on our eggs/chicks. Finger crossed for a good weekend.

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.

Our Eagles and other wildlife enjoy Mull's great Easter weather

The weather this Easter week has been fantastic on the Isle of Mull. Iona, the hen bird has been busy sitting on her eggs in the warmth of the sun incubating. Fingal the male has been busy too, making sure the nest is kept fresh with larch and melina (white hill) grass .

He has also been bringing in food for his mate, in the form of large fish and small mammals each day.
There have been several change overs which we have witness at the hide with Iona going off to have a break and feed herself.
Our visitors have been treated to a number of great sightings and yesterday afternoon they witnessed Fingal on the nest calling out for Iona. This was a new noise to many of the children and adults visiting the hide, who had never heard eagle conversation before.

We have also had the delight of a visiting sparrowhawk at our woodland hide, who boldly flies through the hide to the amazement of our visitors! Other visiting wildlife include a small robin at the hide who greets us on a daily basis, whilst we are keeping our eyes peeled for the Scottish Crossbill that is resident in these woods too but no sightings as yet.

Other birds of interest are the local buzzards ,who nest near by and the regular female hen harrier who cleared all of  the chaffinches off the feeders at the reception hide on Tuesday with ease. The male chaffinches are in abundance too on the spruce tree on the feeders in their bright red colour, just like Christmas baubles.

The weather for the week is looking very good so if you are planning a visit to Mull, don't forget to book a trip to the Eagle Hide.

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.