Well, the last six months have flown by and, as expected, I wasn't able to keep away from Loch Frisa during that time! Skye and Frisa kept us guessing as usual, building a new nest at the North end of the loch and then ...guess what? They flew back to the "Springwatch" nest and laid their egg(s) there.
So another season starts and I am delighted to be back in post (as of today) and privileged to follow the lives of these very special birds. Our eagles are about mid-way through their 38 days of incubation and are sharing their responsibilities on the nest.
Followers of our "celebrity pair" will know that they are using the same nest they used last year, and with that comes the same problems. The nest is very close to the Forestry track which, of course, is a public footpath. So in order to protect the birds and those precious eggs "Operation Easter" has swung into action and we have brought all the necessary technology into play.
"Operation Easter" is now in its 10th year and was originally the brainchild of Finlay Christine who was at that time the island's Police Wildlife Liaison Officer. Volunteers from the island, visitors, and the Mull Bird Club organise themselves to watch Mull's White-tailed Sea Eagle nests during incubation, backed up by the police. It seems ludicrous that it should be necessary in this day and age, but these rare birds are still at risk from egg collectors, and the possibility of disturbance by greedy photographers wanting to take the ultimate picture from a position too close to the nest.
Our dedicated team of watchers guard the nests 24/7 from a safe distance, aided by CCTV and alarms to notify us when someone is walking past the nest. This year the hide will be in a different position, to the north of the nest, so visitors to the hide will be escorted in from the Dervaig end of the track.
At the moment we are using a temporary hide as we can't move the main hide past the eagles' nest whilst they are incubating eggs. We will wait around two weeks after the chick(s) hatch and then tow the hide along the track to its new position. Once the eagles have chicks to feed they won't leave them, so they will be safe whilst the hide is moved.
With the new site comes a whole host of new views of the loch and the wildlife around it. Today the weather has been appalling with strong winds and torrential rain, so the on-duty eagle has been sat tight on the nest, with just its head visible to our visitors. But we have a Raven colony on the cliffs above us so we can watch the adults bringing in food to their young, and this morning we were lucky enough to see a pair of Golden Eagles flying right above us, being harrassed by one of the Ravens.
The drive from the meeting point to the hide is a little longer than last year, but the views are spectacular and we have already seen Hen Harriers. So despite the weather my first day back has been all it promised to be, and I'm looking forward to keeping you up to date with events at Loch Frisa. Until next time.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Going out on a high
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Once again my final week of the season has come round and on Friday I sadly have to tear myself away from the hide - though I don't think I'll be able to stay away from Loch Frisa for long, and I can envisage at least one visit a week to check out the eagles. It's been an odd year with no chicks for our pair to rear, and sometimes it has been a struggle to guess what they are up to, but with some extra effort on our part we have managed to keep up with them and our visitors have, as always, been thrilled at the spectacle of the fourth largest eagle in the world gracing our skies.
From the poignant days when we watched Frisa sit on her second egg day after day (78 days in all - a record for a White-tailed Sea Eagle), through the period of limbo when she left the nest and seemed to be at a loose end, the birds are now wowing our visitors with spectacular flights.
It's early days yet, but already they have taken a look at a nest for next year, though who knows which one they will choose, or whether they will build a new nest altogether? We have seen them talon-grappling over the loch, flying together, or sitting in the trees preening each other - all part of pair-bonding and a great sign that they are gearing up for next year.
We've also been treated to views of a number of juvenile Sea Eagles recently, sometimes flying with the adults. All the young birds fledged around seven weeks ago and are beginning to explore further afield - there are few territorial disputes now as we are outside the breeding season so there are no nests for the adult birds to defend. We have seen up to five Sea Eagles flying close together, and the Golden Eagles have been making plenty of appearances too. Mull has the highest density population of Golden Eagles in Europe with over 30 pairs on the island, and 2010 has been one of the most productive years for fledged chicks for a long time.
The Sand Martins and Swallows have left, great skeins of Greylag Geese are flying in to increase our already large population, Fieldfares and Redwings have been seen as well as Bewick Swans. Autumn is truly upon us.
Yesterday I had a full trip at the hide; right on cue as we arrived both birds flew in to their favourite perches in the Larch trees and settled down together. It was a typical September day on Mull, and although it had been dry and sunny a sudden squall blew through with both eagles getting drenched. Frisa moved deeper into the Larches nearer the hide whilst Skye flew into one of the Spruce trees. As the rain cleared and the sun came out again, Frisa took off and treated us to the best display I have seen all year. Leaving the Larches she flew round to the track in front of the hide. We all rushed outside and there she was, perhaps 30 feet over the car park, circling slowly on those enormous wings and looking down at us. She stayed for almost ten minutes before gradually getting higher and drifting off. One lady was in tears, saying she had waited so long to see a wild Sea Eagle, and that it had made her holiday. I was full of emotion myself, and almost wished that that had been my last day - what a wonderful way to remember the Loch Frisa Sea Eagles.
Till next year .....!
Friday, 3 September 2010
Mull Sea Eagle hide - a four star experience
This year we decided to apply for Visit Scotland accreditation, and shortly after putting in our application their assessor visited the hide. Imagine our delight when a couple of weeks later we heard that we have achieved four stars! I'm told it's quite unusual to score this highly at the first application, so we're very proud - and determined to pull out all the stops and achieve the ultimate goal of five stars next year!
As usual when all the children go back to school the weather changes for the better, and this year is no exception with a week of fabulous warm, sunny days. Fortunately for us there is usually a slight breeze near the hide which stops us from becoming too hot and has the added bonus of keeping the midges at bay! The eagles have been performing well this week too, with plenty of great views of Skye and Frisa soaring overhead and enjoying the thermals. Normally birds of prey tend to fly when they need to hunt, and spend the rest of the time just sitting, digesting their last meal and conserving energy since they don't know where the next meal is coming from. But on a lovely warm day, when the hot air currents mean the birds don't need to flap their wings in flight, I am sure that our eagles fly just for the sheer joy of it. They find a thermal and just sit on it with their wings outstretched, circling higher and higher, almost like they are on a lift, then glide across the sky. It is a joy to watch them. I was once lucky enough to go up in a glider and fly with a colony of Griffon Vultures in South Africa - the nearest thing to flying like a bird I'll ever experience. Every time I see Skye and Frisa fly I envy their freedom and am in awe of the way they can drift across the sky so effortlessly.
As usual when all the children go back to school the weather changes for the better, and this year is no exception with a week of fabulous warm, sunny days. Fortunately for us there is usually a slight breeze near the hide which stops us from becoming too hot and has the added bonus of keeping the midges at bay! The eagles have been performing well this week too, with plenty of great views of Skye and Frisa soaring overhead and enjoying the thermals. Normally birds of prey tend to fly when they need to hunt, and spend the rest of the time just sitting, digesting their last meal and conserving energy since they don't know where the next meal is coming from. But on a lovely warm day, when the hot air currents mean the birds don't need to flap their wings in flight, I am sure that our eagles fly just for the sheer joy of it. They find a thermal and just sit on it with their wings outstretched, circling higher and higher, almost like they are on a lift, then glide across the sky. It is a joy to watch them. I was once lucky enough to go up in a glider and fly with a colony of Griffon Vultures in South Africa - the nearest thing to flying like a bird I'll ever experience. Every time I see Skye and Frisa fly I envy their freedom and am in awe of the way they can drift across the sky so effortlessly.
Monday, 23 August 2010
Life at Loch Frisa
They may not have chicks this year, but Skye and Frisa are keeping us on our toes. With no young to rear they have had plenty of time to themselves and have found several new places to roost, and although they are still up and down the loch we are never quite sure where they are going to be. This is an added bonus for our visitors as they are often taken on an extra journey to different viewpoints, and as a result we have been treated to rare sightings of other special wildlife too!
One favourite place overlooks the loch from a high vantage point, and we have had the occasional view of Black-throated Divers (although we usually hear their mournful call before we see them). Red-throated Divers have also been seen, and these stunning birds have been venturing closer to the head of the loch near to the hide.
Our Buzzard chick fledged successfully and is seen daily. Occasionally the female leaves a piece of food on the nest to give him a helping hand, but generally he is managing to hunt well for himself, still favouring frogs. He is easily recognised by his juvenile plumage, and by the fact that he has inherited his father's tail - two ginger feathers in the middle of the other brown ones. In today's torrential rain he was hoping the worms would come to the surface and was running around on the ground and pouncing every so often. He calls frequently - probably reminding his parents that he is still there - and he has turned into quite a character, very popular with our visitors. Sometimes we see all three Buzzards flying together.
All the other Sea Eagle chicks on the island have fledged now - of our ten pairs eight were successful and produced a total of ten healthy fledglings between them. Although they have all left their nests, they are still in the vicinity, and there have been some great views of the chicks sitting with their parents. Two more chicks have been satellite tagged this year so you will soon be able to follow them on the RSPB website when they start to venture further afield.
Skye and Frisa may not have a family this year, but they are reinforcing their pair bond as we often see them sat side by side on the same branch, and recently they were perched with their necks entwined (more like a pair of swans!). As they are not defending a breeding territory now their daughter from last year, Heather, has decided it is safe to return to roost with her parents and we sometimes see all three of them sat together. Her beak is almost the same bright yellow as the adults' now, although it will be three or four years before she gets her full white tail.
Our large flock of Siskins have fledged all their young and left the area now, although the Chaffinches are still going strong. The Redpoll family are still visiting the feeders, and both the Pied and Grey Wagtails nested in the quarry by the hide car park. The Sandmartin colony has been constantly busy with the first brood fledged and the second brood still to go, all of which has been captured on our camera showing live footage in the hide.
So there is plenty to see on Loch Frisa, and if you are thinking of visiting Mull in the next month or two, do come and see us at the hide.
One favourite place overlooks the loch from a high vantage point, and we have had the occasional view of Black-throated Divers (although we usually hear their mournful call before we see them). Red-throated Divers have also been seen, and these stunning birds have been venturing closer to the head of the loch near to the hide.
Our Buzzard chick fledged successfully and is seen daily. Occasionally the female leaves a piece of food on the nest to give him a helping hand, but generally he is managing to hunt well for himself, still favouring frogs. He is easily recognised by his juvenile plumage, and by the fact that he has inherited his father's tail - two ginger feathers in the middle of the other brown ones. In today's torrential rain he was hoping the worms would come to the surface and was running around on the ground and pouncing every so often. He calls frequently - probably reminding his parents that he is still there - and he has turned into quite a character, very popular with our visitors. Sometimes we see all three Buzzards flying together.
All the other Sea Eagle chicks on the island have fledged now - of our ten pairs eight were successful and produced a total of ten healthy fledglings between them. Although they have all left their nests, they are still in the vicinity, and there have been some great views of the chicks sitting with their parents. Two more chicks have been satellite tagged this year so you will soon be able to follow them on the RSPB website when they start to venture further afield.
Skye and Frisa may not have a family this year, but they are reinforcing their pair bond as we often see them sat side by side on the same branch, and recently they were perched with their necks entwined (more like a pair of swans!). As they are not defending a breeding territory now their daughter from last year, Heather, has decided it is safe to return to roost with her parents and we sometimes see all three of them sat together. Her beak is almost the same bright yellow as the adults' now, although it will be three or four years before she gets her full white tail.
Our large flock of Siskins have fledged all their young and left the area now, although the Chaffinches are still going strong. The Redpoll family are still visiting the feeders, and both the Pied and Grey Wagtails nested in the quarry by the hide car park. The Sandmartin colony has been constantly busy with the first brood fledged and the second brood still to go, all of which has been captured on our camera showing live footage in the hide.
So there is plenty to see on Loch Frisa, and if you are thinking of visiting Mull in the next month or two, do come and see us at the hide.
Monday, 14 June 2010
Skye and Frisa settled again
At last Skye and Frisa are back into a routine, albeit a strange one for them. After my last blog Frisa returned to the nest and sat for 78 days in total, but then left it altogether and the birds went through a period of limbo when they didn't seem to know what to do. They would sit in their favourite tree together, then disappear for a couple of days at a time which is most unusual for them. Thankfully now they are back and we are getting great views of them, especially since we have a very powerful camera which we can pan around the landscape and home in on wherever our eagles are sitting, with the live pictures showing on our screen in the hide. Of course we have our telescopes as well, but the camera is over twice as powerful as our strongest scope so the images we get are fantastic. Sometimes we don't need binoculars, scopes or the camera; one day last week Skye left his perch and flew towards us and straight past the hide with great deep wing beats - obviously on a mission. It was a beautiful warm day with bright sun which highlighted his white tail, leaving our visitors speechless.
It is great to see them back, although it must be very odd for them to have no chicks to care for. They are both moulting heavily; they sit in the trees preening, then every so often give a shake of their wings and a huge cloud of tiny white body feathers appears like snow, and the trees look as if they are covered in little white flowers. They are spending a lot of time sitting together, maybe reassuring one another; one day they sat with their heads entwined in the way that swans do, and they often call to each other. With no hard work this year feeding hungry chicks, Skye and Frisa should be fighting fit by next year's breeding season, and they are both still in their prime.
Just an update on our Buzzard nest: egg number two failed to hatch, but the first chick is thriving. Now three weeks old it seems impossible that it could have come out of an egg the size of the unhatched one it is sitting next to. Both parent birds are bringing in food for the chick, ranging from vole to rabbit with plenty of frogs and slow worm in between. The female will not tolerate the male bird on the nest and grabs the food from him before chasing him off. It has been known for male raptors to eat their own chicks (possibly confusing them with other food left on the nest) so our female isn't taking any chances. Our visitors have been transfixed watching the female tenderly feeding her chick, but now as it grows the chick is greedily grabbing food from her almost before she can tear it up. She is busily bringing in greenery to line the nest and keep it as clean as possible, but already the chick manouevres himself to the edge of the nest to evacuate himself, so the nest actually looks cleaner than many I have seen.
So all's well at Loch Frisa, and if the weather stays as beautiful as it has been, our visitors can look forward to a fabulous trip.
It is great to see them back, although it must be very odd for them to have no chicks to care for. They are both moulting heavily; they sit in the trees preening, then every so often give a shake of their wings and a huge cloud of tiny white body feathers appears like snow, and the trees look as if they are covered in little white flowers. They are spending a lot of time sitting together, maybe reassuring one another; one day they sat with their heads entwined in the way that swans do, and they often call to each other. With no hard work this year feeding hungry chicks, Skye and Frisa should be fighting fit by next year's breeding season, and they are both still in their prime.
Just an update on our Buzzard nest: egg number two failed to hatch, but the first chick is thriving. Now three weeks old it seems impossible that it could have come out of an egg the size of the unhatched one it is sitting next to. Both parent birds are bringing in food for the chick, ranging from vole to rabbit with plenty of frogs and slow worm in between. The female will not tolerate the male bird on the nest and grabs the food from him before chasing him off. It has been known for male raptors to eat their own chicks (possibly confusing them with other food left on the nest) so our female isn't taking any chances. Our visitors have been transfixed watching the female tenderly feeding her chick, but now as it grows the chick is greedily grabbing food from her almost before she can tear it up. She is busily bringing in greenery to line the nest and keep it as clean as possible, but already the chick manouevres himself to the edge of the nest to evacuate himself, so the nest actually looks cleaner than many I have seen.
So all's well at Loch Frisa, and if the weather stays as beautiful as it has been, our visitors can look forward to a fabulous trip.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Bouncing Buzzard Baby!
After all the disappointment of our Sea Eagles' nest failing this year we've been hoping for some good news from our Buzzard nest. Yesterday we arrived at the hide and turned on the camera just in time to see the female showing off her first chick. The tiny, white ball of fluff must have hatched on Sunday and, thanks to "Buzzard-cam", we were able to share the happy event with our visitors. During the morning "mum" left the nest briefly and re-appeared with a Slow Worm which she proceeded to tear into minute pieces to feed to her chick. It was a little hit and miss to begin with as the new mum struggled to aim the morsels of food at the wobbly chick, but after a short time they got it right and the wee one greedily grabbed at the food until it had had enough. It was a little disconcerting to see the slow worm still wiggling, but mum was not put off and finished off what was left. Later in the day she brought in another Slow Worm - she must have found them easily available as she was only away from the nest for a couple of minutes.
The second egg is still to hatch, but as there was a four-day gap between the eggs being laid we are not expecting to see chick number two until at least Thursday. Today rabbit was on the menu, so it looks as though the male Buzzard has finally come into his own and started hunting to feed his offspring. To date he has not been a very attentive partner, leaving the female sitting on the nest for hours on end, then coming to relieve her for around five minutes before disappearing again. We have often seen him hunting near the hide whilst the female can be seen on screen calling for him to take over from her. The emphasis on sharing the incubation is very different to Sea Eagle behaviour, where Skye and Frisa have always taken equal turns at sitting on their eggs. It will be interesting to see how hard our male Buzzard works to feed his family, although for the time being it is up to him to bring in the bulk of the food as the chicks will need brooding for two or three weeks until they can control their own body temperature. On the day our first chick hatched the weather was dry and very warm, so we are hoping that the weather stays favourable - we don't want a repeat of the night that Skye and Frisa's chick hatched!
Speaking of our Sea Eagles, they have finally given up incubating their remaining egg (almost!). Skye lost interest about two weeks ago, but poor Frisa's instinct was so strong that she remained on the nest for 75 days (compared to the normal 38 days' incubation time). Even yesterday she spent some time sitting on the nest - it must be so hard for her to see an egg in her nest and have to fight the instinct to incubate it. Today the weather was fine and Loch Frisa looked beautiful, and it was such a relief to see Skye and Frisa sat side by side in their favourite tree. They have been very vocal, throwing their heads back and calling time and time again - it's amazing how far that call carries. They are both moulting now and are busy preening out all the loose feathers. Every so often they have a little shake and clouds of wispy white body feathers decorate the branches around them.
Even though their nest has failed, Skye and Frisa are still giving us great views. Loch Frisa is their territory and they will always return here after they have been hunting, so whilst we can't show off their chicks this year, there are plenty of opportunities for our visitors to see them perched or in flight.
The second egg is still to hatch, but as there was a four-day gap between the eggs being laid we are not expecting to see chick number two until at least Thursday. Today rabbit was on the menu, so it looks as though the male Buzzard has finally come into his own and started hunting to feed his offspring. To date he has not been a very attentive partner, leaving the female sitting on the nest for hours on end, then coming to relieve her for around five minutes before disappearing again. We have often seen him hunting near the hide whilst the female can be seen on screen calling for him to take over from her. The emphasis on sharing the incubation is very different to Sea Eagle behaviour, where Skye and Frisa have always taken equal turns at sitting on their eggs. It will be interesting to see how hard our male Buzzard works to feed his family, although for the time being it is up to him to bring in the bulk of the food as the chicks will need brooding for two or three weeks until they can control their own body temperature. On the day our first chick hatched the weather was dry and very warm, so we are hoping that the weather stays favourable - we don't want a repeat of the night that Skye and Frisa's chick hatched!
Speaking of our Sea Eagles, they have finally given up incubating their remaining egg (almost!). Skye lost interest about two weeks ago, but poor Frisa's instinct was so strong that she remained on the nest for 75 days (compared to the normal 38 days' incubation time). Even yesterday she spent some time sitting on the nest - it must be so hard for her to see an egg in her nest and have to fight the instinct to incubate it. Today the weather was fine and Loch Frisa looked beautiful, and it was such a relief to see Skye and Frisa sat side by side in their favourite tree. They have been very vocal, throwing their heads back and calling time and time again - it's amazing how far that call carries. They are both moulting now and are busy preening out all the loose feathers. Every so often they have a little shake and clouds of wispy white body feathers decorate the branches around them.
Even though their nest has failed, Skye and Frisa are still giving us great views. Loch Frisa is their territory and they will always return here after they have been hunting, so whilst we can't show off their chicks this year, there are plenty of opportunities for our visitors to see them perched or in flight.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Still waiting
Although it is way past time for Skye and Frisa's remaining egg to hatch, they are still incubating, taking it in turns to sit on the nest whatever the weather. There is an outside chance that they might have recycled and laid another egg, but this is so rare it is really clutching at straws. It is more likely that the eagles just aren't quite ready to give up yet, but sooner or later they will lose interest in the remaining egg that hasn't hatched, and go back to normal everyday life. I think this is beginning to happen now as the off-duty bird seems to be spending longer and longer away from the nest, rather than being on hand to relieve the bird that is sitting.
Once they have given up we will start to see more of them again, sitting in their favourite perch trees preening, and hunting for prey. Frisa has already started to moult - we have watched her pulling at a wing feather that was sticking up at a strange angle, but wasn't quite ready to come out.
Our Buzzard-cam is as popular as ever, with the female appearing to do most of the incubating. She calls when she has had enough and usually the male returns to take over, although yesterday he was hunting over the hill opposite the nest and ignored her calls before returning to the nest for five minutes. When he took off again his mate came back immediately, but was obviously not happy and took out her frustration on a twig in the nest.
The farmer who lives further along the track told us that he often sees Barn Owls hunting the fields close to the hide, so we have now put up a nest barrel in an isolated tree. We are planning to put a camera in the barrel next week, so hopefully we will be able to watch a Barn Owl family later in the season! Barn Owls do well on Mull - I monitor them and ring the chicks and in a year when there is a good population of Short-tailed Field Voles on the island we can have around 25 nesting pairs. There is plenty of excellent habitat, not too much fast traffic and usually a good food supply. Their only real problem is a lack of nest sites - Barn Owls like to nest in isolated hollow trees or old barns. There is at least one pair nesting in a cleft in a cliff face, but we also have a number of nestboxes and nest barrels fixed onto trees, and these are proving popular with the owls.
Next week is Mull and Iona Wildlife Week, so the island will be busy. We're expecting plenty of visitors to the hide and there are other events planned all around the island.
Once they have given up we will start to see more of them again, sitting in their favourite perch trees preening, and hunting for prey. Frisa has already started to moult - we have watched her pulling at a wing feather that was sticking up at a strange angle, but wasn't quite ready to come out.
Our Buzzard-cam is as popular as ever, with the female appearing to do most of the incubating. She calls when she has had enough and usually the male returns to take over, although yesterday he was hunting over the hill opposite the nest and ignored her calls before returning to the nest for five minutes. When he took off again his mate came back immediately, but was obviously not happy and took out her frustration on a twig in the nest.
The farmer who lives further along the track told us that he often sees Barn Owls hunting the fields close to the hide, so we have now put up a nest barrel in an isolated tree. We are planning to put a camera in the barrel next week, so hopefully we will be able to watch a Barn Owl family later in the season! Barn Owls do well on Mull - I monitor them and ring the chicks and in a year when there is a good population of Short-tailed Field Voles on the island we can have around 25 nesting pairs. There is plenty of excellent habitat, not too much fast traffic and usually a good food supply. Their only real problem is a lack of nest sites - Barn Owls like to nest in isolated hollow trees or old barns. There is at least one pair nesting in a cleft in a cliff face, but we also have a number of nestboxes and nest barrels fixed onto trees, and these are proving popular with the owls.
Next week is Mull and Iona Wildlife Week, so the island will be busy. We're expecting plenty of visitors to the hide and there are other events planned all around the island.
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