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Where are our chicks at Loch Frisa? Some very strange and uncharacteristic behaviour from Frisa & Skye today by all accounts. Skye was down at the larches for much of the day staring intently down to the ground. Only one chick has been visible all day on the nest flapping like mad so clearly healthy. Where was No.2? And no food delivered. What's going on? Late tonight, Frisa came into the nest then quickly up onto branches and she was also staring down beneath her. Nothing was visible on the nest...now Skye was down near the loch edge perched in a low tree being mobbed like mad by gulls and crows. Was he keeping an eye on something? Have one or both chicks left the nest? It would be very early for them compared to previous years but they are now 10+ weeks old and, according to the text books, capable of flight. It feels too early. Others (Itchy & Scratchy 05, Haggis & Oatie 06 and Mara & Breagha 08 haven't left before 12 weeks). Tomorrow may reveal all. Debby - over to you. Stay tuned.

Despite the dominating news today, welcome to the east coast sea eaglets which landed at Edinburgh Airport and were greeted by the Minister for the Environment Roseanna Cunningham MSP and our project officer Claire Smith - catch up with the latest news on her blogs and the main news story on the RSPB Home Page. Thank you to the people of Norway and welcome eaglets to Scotland and the UK, your new home. 

More news from Loch Frisa as we get it. Be there in the morning...please.

Dave Sexton RSPB Scotland Mull Officer 

The following is an article which appears in the summer edition of "Scotland Outdoors".  Here is the link to their website.  http://www.scotoutdoors.com/

Dave Sexton, RSPB Scotland, Mull Officer

"I have lived and worked on the Isle of Mull with my family for six years now, but I first came here more than 30 years ago. I was on a school geography field trip exploring glaciated glens, ring dykes and sea arches. In many ways, it was a trip that changed my life. There was something about the magnetism in the volcanic rocks which brought me back year after year on holidays and eventually to work in 1985 on my first RSPB contract to protect the recently reintroduced white-tailed sea eagles. It was to be a momentous year for that project and me personally as we witnessed the first wild fledged sea eagle in the UK for 70 years.

After 15 years in RSPB nature reserve management in Edinburgh, the chance of a lifetime to return to this special place presented itself. I applied for the post of ‘Mull Officer’, got the job and moved here with my wife and two daughters. We haven’t regretted it for a moment.

At this time of year, dawn comes early – very early. On a calm, bright sunny day, (they do happen), my first task is to check as many of the active sea eagle nests as I can. By now the chicks are well grown and feathered and will fly the nest shortly. The magnificent adult birds have done well getting them this far, through nest building in winter storms, 38 worrying days of incubation and another 12 weeks for the chicks to grow from tiny balls of down which could sit in the palm of your hand to fully grown young eagles with a 2.5 metre wingspan.

Some nests I can view from the Land Rover after a bumpy ride up a farm or forestry track. Others need a long slog out to a remote stretch of coast, then a precarious balancing act, peering with telescope and binoculars over a cliff edge to get a view of the nest. Sometimes I can’t immediately see a chick and the adults may be away hunting. My heart sinks. Has it all gone wrong and failed? Then, as I stay glued to the eyepiece, a rich, dark brown head with piercing eyes raises itself from the depths of the nest and peers out to sea in search of a parent returning with food. I retreat by crawling slowly and carefully through tick infested moor grass and bracken to somewhere safe where I can stand and stretch, pick off the ticks, pour a coffee and feel the late morning sun.

By mid-afternoon, I’ve also checked two golden eagle sites. Mull and its rugged, farmed landscape is home to an internationally important population of golden eagles. There is something deeply satisfying about confirming an active goldie nest with a well-grown chick. They are the more secretive, sleek, agile masters of the air in these parts and to see them on a daily basis is a rare privilege.

By late afternoon, it’s time to head home, pick up the family, pack up the Land Rover and head for the last Friday ferry to Iona. It is corncrake survey time and Iona is an island where farmers and crofters have done much to save this bird. After local fish and chips and a short nap, it’s onto the bike at midnight to weave through lonely, deserted lanes and along farm tracks. I avoid mad, snarling sheep dogs and snoozing cattle as I listen for the distinctive, rasping, summer call of the corncrake. By 2 am, I’ve heard 25 calling birds and managed not to crash into late-night revellers emerging from a ceilidh in the village hall. Some are startled by the barmy bird man as I emerge out of the mid-summer half-darkness and then watch bemused as I disappear again, heading for the B&B.

Sometimes the first skylarks are already singing as I crawl into a nicely warmed bed, the corncrakes have gone quiet and one very long, exhausting day is finally over. I wouldn’t swap it for anything."

Keep up with the Estonian sea eagles live sea eagle webcam - the chicks are the same age as Skye and Frisa's.

Please encourage your family and friends to sign our Birds of Prey Pledge http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/birdsofprey/

Dont forget you can join the RSPB and support our work with the eagles - just click the 'Join now' button  

Debby Thorne - White Tailed Eagle Information Officer, Isle of Mull

As I drove to Loch Frisa this morning, I wondered what the day held in store. The weather looked like it could go either way - either lashing rain or glorious sunshine - I am certainly equipped for all eventualities. As I unlocked the Hide, I noticed something white on the water - a swan!  There have been several mute swans in Salen Bay for several months now so assumed one had come to visit us.

I then squelched my way down to the forward hide, admiring our beautiful orchids, fragrant and common spotted on the way before checking on the chicks.  I am still amazed at the size of them - they look ready to fledge but we still have a while before they make their maiden flight. One of the chicks, looking very soggy was sat on the nest, looking over to Frisa as if to say "does this wet stuff ever go away?".

Both Skye and Frisa were sitting nearby, both looking equally soggy. It is great when you see them sat so close as it really gives you the opportunity to see the differences between the male and female.  Like most birds of prey, the female is larger than the male, and Frisa has a much paler head than Skye.

I trained my scope over the Loch to check out the swan - imagine my surprise to see it was a whooper swan!  He/she should really be in Iceland - they certainly visit us over the winter but are usually gone by April - either he is very late or very early (or knows something about the weather that we dont).

I had a small group of visitors this morning and decided to take them straight to the forward hide where I knew they would get good views of both adults and hopefully the chicks. My famous words "if we go know we will miss that shower coming up the Loch". 

Sadly, we didn't quite walk fast enough and we got soaked but no-one minded as the spectacular views of the birds more than compensated for our wet clothes!  After that one downpour, the clouds cleared and we were left with a beautiful blue sky and sunshine.  We had a great view of our adults doing their cormorant impressions - sat with wings outstretched drying out their feathers.

This afternoon, I had a larger group and again, the birds didnt fail to please  One woman was so overcome with emotion that as Frisa flew close to the hide, she had tears running down her cheeks. Unfortunately she wasnt able to walk down to the forward hide but Frisa made sure she had a good view - that woman wasnt the only one with tears I can tell you! 

I never fail to be amazed by these birds - the pleasure they bring to so many people who appreciate just how special they are - a quote from the lady today "its our pleasure, but its their world" bought a lump to my throat - how very true.

I know Mex has reported the terrible news of the golden eagle that was found poisoned at Glen Orchy

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8108827.stm 

and http://forargyll.com/2009/06/argyll-sees-golden-eagle-poisoned-in-glen-orchy/

We must put a stop to this senseless killing - if you haven't done so already, please sign our Birds of Prey Pledge and encourage family and friends to do likewise. http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/birdsofprey/

Dont forget you can join the RSPB and support our work with the eagles - just click the 'Join now' button  

Keep up with the Estonian sea eagles live sea eagle webcam

It was time to try again. Half pint had barely stirred during the last nest visit a week ago. His older, bigger sibling was standing up, his developing wings outstretched and hissing at our ringer Justin as he edged up over the nest rim. Half pint lay almost motionless in the nest and was clearly in no state to be ringed or measured. His first few weeks of life had been a real struggle. He had probably food begged and stretched with gaping beak towards the adults arriving every few hours with fresh prey as much as he could manage.

But somehow, he kept losing out and now it showed. While the bigger chick was alert and mobile, Half pint seemed listless. We left him in peace and departed, pleased to have found one healthy chick but subdued that Half pint would probably not survive the week.

One week on. Justin untangled his ropes, fitted his climbing irons and began to ascend. On the ground we felt tense, our mood mirrored by the alarmed adults calling anxiously overhead. Despite the lively banter, we were privately nervous and willing there to be a positive outcome.

This was no easy tree to climb. Larch is notorious for its dead limbs and progress was slow as Justin made sure he was safe and tied on at every available opportunity. I began to hear the calls of just one chick, clearly the older one, alert and aggressive as it sensed something approaching from below. We all exchanged a glance, raised eyebrows and made that 'oh well, it was worth a check' type of face and got back to concentrating on Justin's safety.

Even the adults had more or less given up and drifted off a short distance to perch nearby to await our departure. The wood seemed strangely quiet and now even the cries from the nest had fallen silent. Justin tied himself on for the final time before getting a good look into the nest. We were desperate to know what he could see but dare not rush him at this critical moment.

As he got himself secure, I stared at the ground. Bits of old prey lay round about. White gull feathers fluttered in the grass and bracken. A fulmar wing was caught in the bramble. As the wind dropped, the midges emerged and went to work. At ground level we were enveloped in the cloud of biting mini-monsters. At tree top level, the breeze just about kept them at bay. Justin eased himself up and onto the edge of the nest. We awaited his proclamation...

"Well well, haven't you grown?" we heard him say."What's that? we enquired urgently. "One or two?". A long pause. Silence. "One or two?" we tried again. "Two!" came the answer. Half pint had made it. Not only that but he'd piled on the weight and had almost doubled in size! He was winning through. He may still be smaller than his nest mate but his chances of fledging are now excellent. He was feistier too. He was quickly ringed and measured. Justin abseiled down alot faster than he'd gone up and we left behind in the nest another slab of halibut generously donated from Bill's fish place.

This time we vacated the wood with broad smiles and a sense of relief that all the accessible chicks had now been successfully ringed and that they were all in pretty good shape. As we glanced back towards the nest, there were both chicks sitting up defiantly with a 'don't mess with us' look. Very brave they were too. Just an hour later I watched one of the adults swoop down over the sea and grab a gull with great agility and head straight back towards the nest. Half pint would certainly be dining in style tonight.

Dave Sexton RSPB Scotland Mull Officer

Live sea eagle webcam 

Please help us look after Mull's majestic sea eagles. Click on the 'Join Here' button to find out more.

A week ago we visited a sea eagle nest on Mull with two chicks in it. This was to be the last nest check on Mull this season. We hoped we'd end the week on a high - and with the nest some 50 feet up, it didn't get much higher. These two were almost a month behind our twins at Loch Frisa and it showed.

While Frisa and Skye's chicks are now well feathered, these two were still very downy - a grey down with only the very first hint of feathers just appearing. One chick was big and strong and quite feisty. But there beside it was a smaller bundle of grey down. One was clearly way ahead of its sibling. 

Our expert climber and ringer Justin ringed the bigger of the two but the little one was just not quite ready. The feet of eagles develop rapidly and so they can usually be ringed at about four weeks of age. But poor little 'Half Pint' had clearly not been getting his fair share of the wealth of food being brought in by the parent birds: fulmar, gull, goose and deer were all on the menu. In situations like this it is always entirely possible that the smallest chick may not survive.

Sometimes, they just do not receive enough sustenance and slowly lose condition and lose their fight for survival. Sometimes too the bigger chick bullies the sibling so much that it just doesn't have the strength to fight back. This is the infamous 'Kane and Abel Syndrome' and is more commonly seen in golden eagles than sea eagles.It is more unusual for golden eagles to rear two chicks to fledging but it does happen.

For sea eagles, it seems much more common. Perhaps there is just more harmony in the nest. There is nearly always an off duty parent sitting nearby keeping a watchful eye on the nest. Perhaps the chicks just get less 'bored' when mum or dad is nearby and so they don't resort to sibling rivalry.

Whatever the reason, we knew we had to leave the smaller chick to the mercy of the elements and his nest mate and just hoped he would make it through. With such a big disparity in size, it's always tough to know what to do. Do you mess with Mother Nature and intervene? Rarely a good move. Do you try and foster the weaker chick into another nest with a similar aged chick? Or do you let nature take its course?

You take a long look at the wee one. Take a deep breath and turn away. Justin got some brief footage of the nestlings for us on the ground to view. In this case, there was no other similar aged nest. This pair had hatched late. All the others were several days if not weeks ahead. This one was going to have to take its chances. Surely it was in the best possible care of its parents?

As we gathered up the ropes and kit and prepared to get clear of the nest area, a nagging doubt remained. This pair has never successfully fledged two chicks before. And yet they had got these two this far, to four weeks old. This was already a record for them. As usual we'd left them a small gift of fish in the nest to make up for the brief spell of disturbance during the nest check and ringing. The parents would soon settle again and return to their normal pattern. When we were to return in a week - what would we find?  Now it was up to them.

Dave Sexton RSPB Scotland Mull Officer

Live sea eagle webcam 

Please help us help the sea eagles in Scotland. We can't do it without you. Join the RSPB today. Click on the 'Join Here' button

Just a quick update tonight but what an update!!

As mentioned earlier, our chicks at Loch Frisa were ringed last Wednesday.  One of the guys working for the Forestry Commission (Scotland) who was helping took some photos of the chicks.  It is just so exciting to be able to see them so close rather than staring at them through a telescope and binoculars.  They will be 8 weeks old tomorrow and are ever edging closer to fledging.  They fledge at about 12 weeks and that's when their adventures will reallly start, venturing out into the big wide world - but more of that when it happens and of course, we will keep you posted.

 Loch Frisa Chicks 2009

Photo Courtesy Alasdair Cameron Forestry Commission (Scotland) 

 Loch Frisa chicks 2009

Photo courtesy Alasdair Cameron Forestry Commission (Scotland)

 Loch Frisa Chicks 2009

Photo Courtesy Alasdair Cameron Forestry Commission (Scotland) 

If you are following the Estonian webcam, you will see that their chicks were ringed too, a couple of days before ours.  live sea eagle webcam 

Dont forget you can join the RSPB and support our work with the eagles - just click the 'Join now' button  

Also - a reminder to sign the Birds of Prey Pledge http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/birdsofprey/

Hi all, apologies for the radio silence from me and thanks to Debby for keeping this blog afloat. As she explained it's been quite a week and I'm only now getting a minute to update you on it. I'm forced to sit down and write due to the fact that at the moment I'm pretty much incapable of doing anything else!

Something went horribly wrong with my back yesterday simply by standing up, which after all the efforts of the last seven days is a bit ironic. So, dosed up with ibuprofen and paracetemol in a drug-induced haze, here goes.

A week ago this morning I was being elbowed awake after finally hitting the sack at 3 am. If I didn't get up now we'd be too late for breakfast. The aroma of sizzling bacon was wafting up the stairs. I'd just completed the first of three corncrake surveys on Iona. It had been a perfect warm, dry and still evening as Bethan (aged 9 and 3/4) and I cycled off from the B&B at 11 pm to start the survey at midnight. Yes, some sadistic researcher has concluded that all corncrake surveys have to be completed between midnight and 3 am when the males are on territory and in full cry.

In the semi-darkness of early summer, we pedalled our way along near empty lanes, stopping to count and plot all calling corncrakes in this national survey year. We tried to work out what was an echo and what was bouncing off farm buildings. We managed to swerve round late night ceilidh-goers staggering home and late night lovers startled by us cycling close-by.

Ah, Iona in summer. The air was full of bird calls from drumming snipe, piping oystercatchers and croaking crakes. We also managed to surprise a few snoozing ewes and lambs and a slightly manic sheepdog in the darkness. Luckily his chain was not quite long enough to reach us and we pedalled on with an adrenalin charged burst of energy. At the end, Bethan was almost asleep at the handlebars and we finally crashed into bed having counted a minimum of 28 calling corncrakes. A great start to the season.

Monday brought Day 1 of a hectic week of ringing sea eagle chicks, tree climbing to check failed nests, filming with Blue Peter and organising boats and people to be in the right place at the right time - oh and an event with the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay (Prince Charles & Camilla if you're not up on your Royal titles) thrown in for good measure.

Our tree climber Justin Grant and ringer Roger Broad worked tirelessly all week and we got round all seven active nests on Mull, two others nearby and checked all inactive nests too for signs of failed eggs. Blue Peter presenter Andy was a pleasure to have along and he was genuinely "blown away" by the "awesome" size of the chicks. Hope Blue Peter viewers enjoy it all on 30 June BBC One 4.35pm.

He spent a couple of hours on Wednesday morning in Salen Primary School under seige from eager pupils showing him their eco-garden, recycling bins and bird boxes. He also presented the school with a cheque from the Mull Eagle Fund to help them buy a nest-box camera kit. Then he signed autographs and chatted to everyone. Great guy. They filmed with Finlay too and then headed for the ferry on Wednesday.

On Thursday I hot-footed it to the wonderful Aigas Field Centre near Beauly as a guest at the Royal opening of the Magnus House - a superb environmental education centre named after Magnus Magnusson. Broadcaster Sally Magnusson gave a moving speech in memory of her father followed by Prince Charles who gave an unexpected and unscripted talk on the frightening loss of rain forests around the globe. It was heart-felt and stirring stuff. 

Finally, Day 5 and Friday dawned warm and sunny like every other day this week. We've been so lucky. The final nest and still two chicks alive and well. A fabulous way to end the week. I waved Roger and Justin off on the ferry and handed our Tobermory High School work experience student Michael back to his mum for safe keeping! What a week he'd picked to tag along.

Friday night I sunk into the sofa with a cold beer and watched some mindless TV. Ecstatic that the arrangements had all panned out so well and that we had so many healthy chicks to look forward to seeing flying in Mull's skies later this summer. Saturday saw the back give out and the agony kick in and so here I sit tapping away at the keyboard, ready for another dose of something strong.

The most satisfying moment was probably at Loch Frisa. Neither Frisa or Skye had any idea we'd even been near their nest and came straight back into feed their chicks as we departed. Now that's what I call precision timing. Goodnight... Wake me up if I snore....zzzzz......zzzzzzzzz.

Go to the live sea eagle webcam  in Estonia and click on White-tailed eagle TV / News and see how our friends also ringed their two chicks this week.

If you've ever thought of joining the RSPB but haven't quite go round to it yet, why not do it now?

Debby here - just adding a link to an article in the Sunday Mail about our oldest sea eagles on Mull http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2009/06/07/scots-sea-eagles-beat-old-age-to-hatch-rare-new-chicks-78057-21421942/

Phew - another hectic week on Mull!

Dave has been out and about with the leg ringing team and checking up on our new sea eagle chicks - he will be doing a blog soon to update you on what he's been doing (I think catching up on his sleep at the moment!). 

Our two chicks at Frisa were ringed on Wednesday, both Skye and Frisa were away feeding at the time and were totally unaware that anyway had been near their nest.  I think the only difference was when they returned, some kind person had left some fresh halibut on the nest - a welcome present indeed!  We had confirmation of two healthy chicks on the nest.  A DNA swab was taken (same as us with a mouth swab) and this will determine the sex of the chicks - then we can get on to the important task of finding names for them.  If anyone has suggestions, please let us know and they will all go into a hat for a grand draw.

We have had a couple of school visits to the hide which have gone really well.  Today was the turn of Lochdonhead Primary School, based here on Mull.  They had a great time and Frisa very kindly sat in a tree very patiently so all the children could see her.  What great excitement.  Some of you may not be aware but the monies raised from the hide from visits and donations are split in two - half of the money goes back into the Eagle Watch project and the other half goes back to the Island in the form of grants which groups can then apply to.  Lochdonhead School recently received such a grant and used their money to buy some nest camera boxes and some gardening equipment.  They are over the moon as within a week of installing the camera boxes, Mr and Mrs Blue Tit moved in.  They have been following them daily and are delighted to report that they now have 8 young blue tits.  The enthusiasm shown by these youngsters is so refreshing - I felt so proud when a bird flew down in front of us and one of the younger ones said "its a pied wagtail".  Before I started working for the RSPB this year, I worked at this school and each day they would come asking if they could help me fill the bird feeders - such eagerness and willingness to learn.  Looks like they listened well too!  Our future will be in their hands soon.

Lochdonhead Primary School - Photo Debby Thorne

Ooooh Look - an eagle! Photo Debby Thorne

Our other excitment this week, was the visit of Blue Peter.  Dave will fill you in on this visit but what a great team - set a reminder on your TV's 30th June dont forget to watch Blue Peter and see their visit to Mull!

Andi, from Blue Peter, Finlay our Wildlife Crime Officer and Dave chilling out on the Eagle bench in front of the hide - Photo Debby Thorne

Yesterday was my day off so I took my daughter to Iona to hunt down the corncrakes - did we find any? (potential cliffhanger!) - well ..... we heard plenty but sadly couldnt spot them.  But we did see lots and lots of painted lady butterflies. 

Painted Lady - photo Debby Thorne

Dont forget the Estonian webcam - look at the size of those chicks! Live sea eagle webcam 

 And not forgetting our friends over at Loch Garten who are having a rollercoaster of a ride at the moment - we wish them well and hope family life settles down to some sort of normality.

Dont forget you can join the RSPB and support our work with the eagles. Just click the 'Join now' button and take a look. 

Also - a reminder to sign the Birds of Prey Pledge http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/birdsofprey/

Debby Thorne - White Tailed Eagle Information Officer, Isle of Mull

Buzzard - Photo Debby Thorne

Dave is busy dashing round the Island - its leg ringing time and we have Blue Peter helping out!  I will let Dave tell you all about that. 

Well - what a start to the day - blue skies, sunshine and very, very warm that I was forced to wear short trousers (not a pretty sight!).

Our first group in the morning consisted of 5 visitors - which I thought was a mistake as the trips have been virtually full since we opened.  It turned our one of the ferry's to the other Islands had broken down and the Mull ferry was helping out so quite a few people didnt make it over - hopefully everyone is back where they should be now. We stopped halfway down to the hide and had beautiful views of both Skye and Frisa basking in the sunshine.  With the sun glistening on their pale heads, they are still a stunnning sight and quite breathtaking.  We then went down to the forward hide and had some great views of the chicks - I think I need another word instead of chick - people are expecting small balls of fluff - our two are now quite a size, dark chocolatey brown with their feathers coming through - a couple of times you have to look twice through the scope as you think you are seeing an adult when in fact it is one of the youngsters - that gives you an idea of their size.  You can check how they are doing by comparing them to the Estonian pair Live sea eagle webcam 

Both Skye and Frisa provided us with some stunning flying displays - lots of oohs and aaahs.  We also had another adult sea eagle over the far side of the Loch, visiting from another territory - too far away though to upset Skye and Frisa. 

Our afternoon group, again was a small one, just 10 so we went straight down to the forward hide.  It wasn't long before we spotted a juvenile golden eagle flying quite close to the nest area - he was being harrassed by the hooded crows - he gave us a lovely fly past so we could admire the markings on his underwing.  Then someone spotted a peregrine passing through, followed shortly by a merlin - this was getting exciting.  Then someone shouted eagle from behind us!  We all swung round - a juvenile, there's another and another - that was 3 - and oh yes - another - 4 juveniles heading our way.  By now Skye was up flying heading out to meet them - Frisa was sat a couple of branches above the nest, giving out some warning cries.  The four juveniles circled, they were directly above our heads - then one of them and Skye locked talons and did a short tumble - we all held our breath unable to speak - it only lasted a short while but enough to cause heartbeats to race.  The juveniles did not want to leave and continued flying around the above the Loch for a good half hour - but they kept their distance from Skye - they had their warning!  Eventually they drifted off - Frisa never left her perch and Skye was her hero!  As we all got our breath back, another juvenile was spotted - this time flying across the trees towards the nesting area - oh no - what was going to happen (now if I was Dave I would leave this as a cliffhanger but I'm not that cruel!) - the strange thing was Frisa did not give out any alarm calls as she had with the other juveniles - Skye continued to fly but did not go in to warn the bird off - strange? the youngster flew directly over the nest - I would have expected a reaction from one if not both birds - but nothing!  The question is - was this Mara or Breagha popping home to say hi?  We shall have to wait for the data from our satellite transmitters to answer that one.  The afternoon didn't stop there - we then had female hen harrier being mobbed by the crows - she would be possibly protecting young ones if the crows had got too close - and of course, not to be left out of the action, our buzzard gave us a beautiful display.  What a day!  Someone once asked me if I ever get bored working at Loch Frisa - I dont think I need to tell you the answer.

Golden Eagle - RSPB Images

Dont forget you can join the RSPB and support our work with the eagles. Just click the 'Join now' button and take a look. 

Also - a reminder to sign the Birds of Prey Pledge http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/birdsofprey/

Thank you all for your support - we love receiving your comments too!

Debby Thorne - White Tailed Eagle Information Officer, Isle of Mull

Well, having just sat through all the acts for Britain's Got Talent, I'm glad I didn't have to choose the winner - they were all so good.  Congratulations to Diversity!

Well someone has finally heard my pleas - the weather here has been glorious, buckets of sunshine, blue skies and very, very warm.  The Factor 50 suncream had to come out today.  This weather is great for growing chicks too - its gives Skye and Frisa plenty of opportunity to hunt for food too thus giving us fantastic flying displays.

Cotton Grass at Loch Frisa

One of the things I love about working at the Hide is meeting so many different people, all ages and from all differents walks of life - but with one thing in common - to catch sight of our largest Bird of Prey - and Skye and Frisa have certainly given so much pleasure to so many people.  We also have a great diversity of wildlife from our eagles (white-tailed and golden), the siskins and chaffinches on the feeders, our sand martins, the divers on the Loch, through to the butterflies and even a dragonfly that we all stopped to admire today.  What a wonderful World!

First visitor of the day!

As I arrived at the hide this morning, this lamb was waiting with him mum for the door to open - we do meet a diversity of life at the hide!!

Dave is on Iona this weekend doing the Corncrake survey - I guess I will have to text the results of the show!

Dont forget to check the Estonian webcam Live sea eagle webcam

Have you ever thought of joining the RSPB and supporting our work with the eagles? Just click the 'Join now' button and take a look. 

Debby Thorne - White Tailed Eagle Information Officer, Isle of Mull

I returned to the Eagle Hide today, having had a couple of days off.  What do you do on your day off on Mull?  Why, check on the other eagles of course!  I had a great day and had some wonderful views of both white-tailed eagles and golden eagles - we are so lucky on Mull to have both these magnificent birds - I don't think I could ever tire of watching them. 

Both trips today were fully booked and the visitors were not disappointed.  As I arrived at the hide this morning to open up, I was greeted by Frisa flying across the loch and into the nest.  Both groups got fantastic views of both adults and the chicks on the nest.   The two chicks are six weeks old today and growing at a phenominal rate.  As I took a final look at them this evening, you could clearly see their feathers coming through, a wing or two being flapped, getting ready for that first flight which should happen around 12 weeks old.

Did some of you manage to catch 'Animal 24:7' on BBC One this evening? Just wanted to point out that it was filmed two years ago. It was sad for everyone involved (see archived blogs from 2007 'White tail, black day') but the chicks this year are just fine.

I just want to sign off tonight by sending all our very best wishes to PC Finlay Christine, our Wildlife Crime Officer on Mull who featured in tonight's programme.  Finlay 'retired' today (although his official last day is in July) and is one of the nicest guys you could meet.  He has done so much for our eagles and all Mull's wildlife. This year he was awarded Wildlife Crime Enforcer of the Year - a fitting tribute to all his hard work.  A long, happy and healthy retirement and a huge thank you for all that you have done for our magnificent birds.

Dont forget to check the Live sea eagle webcam in Estonia and you will see how Skye and Frisa's chicks on Mull are looking!

I have included some of the stunning photos taken by Iain Erskine

                                     White-tailed eagle - Photos copyright Iain Erskine

Have you ever thought of joining the RSPB and supporting our work with the eagles? Just click the 'Join now' button and take a look. 

Debby Thorne RSPB Scotland

Live sea eagle webcam 

Well, actually I do. Usually. But to wake up to the mizzle (mist and drizzle?) again was a bit of a let down. Especially when the rest of the UK seems to be basking in wonderful warm sunshine.  However, undaunted, two true-grit groups assembled at 10am and 1pm and were not put off by suggestions that we might see absolutely nothing at the hide. They would take their chances. True the mist was down and covered the nest wood. True it was raining so hard you got soaked walking from car to hide. True the midges were loving it. True the morning group saw nothing more than a dark 'atmospheric' eagle silhouette in a tree. The afternoon group were a determined bunch. True Brits. It's as if they were willing the rain to stop.  And then a miracle happened.  It stopped. The clouds parted. A hint of blue appeared in the western sky. Frisa flew from the nest where she'd been doing her best to protect her rapidly growing chicks from the wet. She perched next to Skye and they called to each other. A small cheer went up from the brave crowd at the forward hide. Skye heard what Frisa was screaming: "I know it's wet. I know you're fed up but GO GET SOME FOOD!" Out he flew from the wood, across the loch and off to hunt. Everyone got fabulous views and they left happy and contented, if a little damp and slightly bitten. A small price to pay.

Last night as I took a last look at the live streaming sea eagle webcam in Estonia, I learned something new about sea eagles after nearly 30 years of watching them. Of course we never really get to see them at roost, at night, 'asleep'. The webcam is 2 hours ahead of British Summer Time so at 2230 Estonian time, there was one of the adults - probably the female - on the nest with the two chicks. Amazingly she had her head tucked under her wing - just like a sleeping swan. I've never seen them do that before. There's always something new to learn about these birds. As I write I can close my eyes and picture Frisa on the nest tonight. She has her two chicks tucked cosily underneath and she rests her proud head under her wing. Let's hope the sun shines on them all (and dries them out) tomorrow.

Welcome back to the new Springwatch team. Great show. I think it works. How about you?

Has Britain Got Talent? Mull's sea eagles get some primetime TV exposure this week. Don't miss 'Animal 24:7' BBC One 7.30pm Wednesday 27 May (except Wales).

Dave Sexton RSPB Scotland Mull Officer

Have you ever thought of joining the RSPB and supporting our work with the eagles? Just click the 'Join now' button and take a look. 

First of all, on behalf of Dave and myself, we would like to say thank you for all your comments. They certainly make interesting reading and it's great to know so many of you take an interest in our work with the sea eagles. 

One subject that everyone talks about on Mull is the weather!  Yesterday and today were absolute contrasts.

Yesterday the forecast told us to expect sunshine and showers but instead we had wall to wall sunshine, and the four layers I started off with first thing in the morning, rapidly reduced to a tee shirt by lunchtime.  We had great views of both chicks on the nest much to the excitement of the visitors.  Skye and Frisa not to miss out on the attention gave us some fantastic flying displays - and if that wasn't enough, a golden eagle gave us a beautiful flypast too.

During the past week, Channel Four's 'Time Team' have been on Mull working on a dig just outside Tobermory.  They have made some significant finds and we look forward to seeing it televised next year.  Of course, they also wanted to see our eagles too!  So in the early evening sunlight, we took 12 members of the 'Time Team' crew down to the hide.  I wish I could have taped their reactions on seeing Frisa on the nest with two chicks and Skye sat next to them roosting on a branch, soaking up the evening sunlight.  They were just completely blown away - there were shrieks of excitement and delight at seeing the birds and a genuine admiration for them.  They were a great bunch and really appreciated the beauty of these birds. A perfect end to a perfect day.  I left Loch Frisa with the sun going down, Skye and Frisa settling down for the night with their two chicks.

C4's 'Time Team' at the Loch Frisa Eagle Hide

Today, however, I woke to the sound of the rain lashing against the windows.  The forecast was for heavy showers, but clearing late morning.  As I drove to meet the first trip at 10.00am, I wondered how many would actually brave the weather and be waiting for me.  Everyone was there - all waiting eagerly.  We drove down to the hide, as the trees disappeared from view and the clouds came down and the rain got harder.  Some of the group managed to get a glimpse of Frisa and the chicks but that was it.  Despite the rain, there was a great atmosphere in the hide.  As the day went on, the rain just seemed to get heavier and the clouds thicker.  At one point we couldn't see the other side of the loch.  As I went to meet the 1.00pm trip, I thought "there really won't be anyone there in this weather".  But I was wrong.  A young couple, and a family with two young children, eager to see our birds.  They were really keen and were desperate for a view a white-tailed eagle.  Deep down, I really didn't think we would have much of a chance.  When we got to the hide, we could just make out the birds on our feeders (our trusty great-spotted woodpecker didn't let us down) let alone trying to find a soggy eagle.  We settled down to watch our 'Eagle Odyssey' DVD - a fantastic RSPB film which had everyone glued to the screen (although I had one eye out the window in case anything flew past).  No-one seemed to mind the rain - everyone was just happy to be in the hide learning lots about the eagles.  It was great to see the enthusiasm of the children as one day, hopefully they will take over looking after our wildlife and indeed, the planet.  As we were beginning to pack up, through the raindrops on the window, I caught sight of one of the eagles!  Everyone dashed out into the rain - minus hats and coats.  There, in all her glory, was Frisa - she flew over the loch, circled several times, so close to us, that we didn't need our binoculars.  The joy and excitement on everyone's face was priceless.  You really couldn't have asked for more!  What a great end to the day.  Oh and the weather did clear - about 7pm this evening the sun finally poked its head out.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Here is the link to the excellent live sea eagle webcam whose chicks are the same age as Skye and Frisa's. Estonian Webcam

Dont forget our friends Kate, Chris, Simon, Gordon and Martin on the new-look 'Springwatch' which is back on Monday, BBC Two 8.00pm.

Also, see the 'Join Now' button on the blog tracking page. We know many of you are supporters of the RSPB already and thank you so much for that. If any of you have been thinking of joining and helping us to protect the eagles, please click on the 'Join Now' button and see how easy it is! Thank you.

Debby Thorne RSPB Scotland white-tailed eagle Information Officer

Phew!  What a week that was!  Just about recovered from Wild Isles Week but what a fantastic week it was.  There were many events around the Island from Corncrake Walks, Evening Birdsong Walks, Looking for Otters and lots of talks on a whole variety of subjects, as well as the Eagle Hide open to trips twice a day.  The trips were fully booked all week and our visitors were treated to some great displays by Skye and Frisa as well as sightings of our ever growing chicks. 

I am amazed at how quickly the chicks are growing - it doesnt seem five minutes ago when I rang Dave from the forward hide saying "I think we have a hatching", and then the following week ringing him and saying "I'm pretty sure we have two chicks - just keep seeing a little white ball of fluff bobbing up and down".  They are now an incredible 5 weeks old - they have lost most of their fluffy white down and are now dark grey in colour.  A couple of times, we have managed to spot them trying to feed themselves, trying to take a lump of food and nearly falling over in the process. You can see their little wings moving up and down as they move about the nest.  Skye and Frisa are just brilliant parents, bringing in food to the nest, making sure both are fed and sitting near to the nest making sure they dont get into any trouble.

The siskins and great spotted woodpecker continue to provide great entertainment to our visitors in the hide and the young sandmartins have fledged already - the youngsters sit on the fence down at the lochside begging for food from any bird that flies past.  The buzzards are rearing young as we have seen food being taken into the nest and our pied wagtails are now feeding young - its a real hive of activity.

I shall leave you with some photos I took during Wild Isles Week.  I hope to get some shots of the chicks as they grow but unfortunately the light has been too poor to get a decent photo.

Here is the link to the Estonian Webcam - click on the White Tailed Eagle Camera - direct stream and see how the chicks are doing - they are the same age as Skye and Frisa's and give a great insight to their antics

It's been a good couple of days at the hide. Frisa and Skye have been very busy, in and out with tasty morsels. Today Frisa took some time out for a bath. The excited group at the forward hide watched as she swept round in front of them and then landed on the grassy spit of land jutting out in to the loch. Then, in she went - fully immersed. Imagine a blackbird in your bird bath in the garden and then multiply it a few thousand times. The flapping and fluttering is the same and they certainly seem to enjoy it. An eagle's nest can quickly become a pretty uninviting place after a month or two - unless you're an eagle that is. And for Frisa today, enough was enough. Time for a bit of a wallow in some clean, fresh, loch water. It must have felt very good indeed.

BBC Radio Scotland's 'Out of Doors' programme was here today. Presenter Mark Stephen, joined us at the hide at the end of the day and later had a stunning view of Skye perched on his loch-side tree. Mark was almost lost for words - but thankfully not quite! You can hear his encounter on line, on digital and on BBC Radio Scotland this Saturday 0630-0800, repeated Sunday morning 1105.

See how the sea eagles in Estonia are doing on the direct link below. The chicks are almost the same age as Frisa and Skye's and you can follow their progress via this excellent high quality live streaming video. Remember though that Estonia is two hours ahead of the UK so it gets dark earlier. Click on the 'White-Tailed Eagle TV' link and watch the amazing videos since March 2009 of the pair as they build their nest, lay their eggs, incubate in the snow, see off hooded crows and young sea eagles and eventually hatch within a day or two of Frisa and Skye. It's fascinating viewing. Enjoy!

White-tailed eagle TV  

Dave Sexton RSPB Scotland Mull Officer