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what a wonderful day Debby. I'm sure you and everyone at the hide had a day to remember.

So glad to "see" Half Pint doing well:) We have all taken him to our hearts.

Thanks again and stay dry.

What a fantastic day Debbie.  Thank you for your wonderful description of events, and the "old married couple!" I can picture it all, although I wish I could actually be there to see it!! Heather sounds beautiful, and obviously growing well. I can't believe she is bigger than her Dad! Have been watching the tracking for Mara and Breagha, as you say - keep safe you two!

Ooh jealous, but lovely story can kind of imagine being there. Well i look forward to coming in October. That sounds like a fantastic load of sightings, Our best bird day on Mull , apart from our Oattie moment, as on my avatar, was along the track by Loch Frisa, saw 2 WTSE, then 2 Goldies also saw a merlin very close to and a Hen Harrier, brilliant view, it was just great and then cycling back i looked up flying not far at all above us was an adult White Tailed Sea Eagle, could tell it was mature as was light colured and white tail and head, i was so gob smacked i was fumbling with my camera and missed it, i was like WOW.

Another fab sighting was at Grass Point, i am sorry to say needed the loo, and was just coming back from the bush when a glorious mature White Tailed flew low just past me, again no camera and wow factor.

Hope to beable to tell more stories after October , are you listening eagles, please come and give me a treat, plus its my birthday then so we can have an Eagle party, all eagles invited  :-)

Thanks for the great stories, you 2 should release a book!

So nice to know that all is well on eagle island (lets hope the scope is alright too)

Thanks for the lovely update Debby, keep them coming.

Another great update Debby and good news too. Better keep that airing cupboard really warm!!.

Hi Debby wow what a great day,everyone would be so pleased.We seem to say it all the time but it is so good of you and Dave to give us more or less a running commentary on what is happening.Feel sure Dave's scope be none the worse for ware,and it sounds as if Mull living up to its name of Eagle Island.With the blogs from you and Dave those of us fortunate enough to have been to Mull keep up to date and recognise some of the places and must encourage those who haven't been to go to Mull if possible.Of course all the other wildlife besides the Eagles is fantastic as well.

Thanks for the regular updates Debby. It's strange to think when we were there in April they were all just eggs LOL

I am so glad all is well with your beautiful Sea Eagles Debby.

You sound as if you have been well taught by Dave, he would be proud of you managing to get close enough to know what was happening with Half pint and his sibling :)

It really amazes me how quickly these magnificent birds grow and it doesn't seem any time at all that you were showing your first visitors to the hide and then were able to tell us that the eggs had hatched and the chicks were being fed, then in no time they were being ringed.

I am so glad that Heather is such a credit to the care of Skye and Frisa how wonderful for you to see her flying so well and so free. :)

Debby thanks so much for yet another update and just wonderful to hear all is well there.  How I envy you being able to watch these magnificent.  Mara and Breagha do keep safe won't you.

Great news, Debby (re birds AND scope). Are you going to delete all the sections telling Dave how close to the tide (or deluge) his prized possession ran??! Ah but he will be soooooo pleased at how well you and the birds have been doing that he will think you did a fantastic job in the airing cupboard and may even ask you to substitute for him again soon - at the next 7-year-olds disco......    

great news on the scope!!

Glad to scope is OK Debby! I agree with Sooty, Mull is just beautiful.  We had a fantastic week on Mull back in May, wish we could have stayed longer. The eagles are of course just brilliant, but there is also so much more wildlife to see, and the scenery is fantastic. I'm sure most of you know that!  Just a quick question - how old are the chicks when they start to hunt for themselves?

Thanks Debby.  I can't believe that Heather is now 16wks. How quickly she has had to "grow up", but I suppose that is how it should be.  How wonderful to see a Great skua. We don't see birds like that down here in East Anglia, although there is usually something interesting to spot over at Minsmere.

DEBBY AND DAVE-Good morning from a hot Bournemouth. Just back from our 2 weeks touring Scotland which of course was very hot when travelling up and back in our motorhome but changeable whilst there, typical.

Firstly I would like to tell everyone about my time on Mull. We spent 3 days near the end of our holiday there camping at Craignure which was a wonderful site looking back to Oban and the Ben Nevis range of mountains and infront down and across the Sound of Mull which was breathtaking. I originally didn't book to visit the hide as I was put off by the information about getting there by car and worried about our van on the forest track. I contacted Debby who kindly replied to say that it is possible to get a larger vehicle up the track (don't be put off when you read the info on the How to get there page). I booked whilst away and arrived at the meeting place on/at last a sunny/warm/cloudy/dry morning as the weather was picking up and was met by Debby and an assistant which we followed to the hide. The hide was nearer to the bottom end of Loch Frisa than I imagined and had great views of the area. No wonder Frisa and Skye had chosen this central area of Mull to have as their domaine, its was more secluded and beautiful. It was lovely to meet Debby at last, I was dissapointed that Dave was still away as I had travelled along way to meet him but left them some sweets to share when he got back. The trip was only £4.00 per adult which was very reasonable. Debby started with a talk about our family of eagels and was very knowledgable, some of the group obviously had booked when they had  read a leaflet about the project whilst on the island, others with fancy scopes had come with a purpose like myself to see an eagel. When Debby was talking I felt priveliged to know alot of what she was saying through reading comments and followwing this site over the last 1 1/2 years and because of this felt that it was a very rewarding experience. With nature it is hit and miss whether you see anything, however half-way through my time at the hide Frisa first appeared flying high above the trees where her nest had been, she stayed long enough to be able to see her distinctive head colour and shape, Skye then joined her nearby then they left across the loch. Unfortunatly no sign of Heather but I knew all was well with her. My phone/internet only worked sometimes on holiday so have been catching up with comments and blogs yesterday and saw that on the following day from my visit the hide was visited by many eagels, just my luck, however it was fantastic to see Mr/Mrs eagel who I am sure will remain in that area for many years to come.

Debby and Dave and their helpers from other agencies connected to the project do a fantastic job and if you havn't had chance to visit Mull this year, try to next as it is only 40 mins by ferry from Oban and such as beautiful place, we didn't want to leave. It was lovely to see the village where Dave and Debby live and the area they work in, any comment made by them will mean even more now and after visiting the whole island will put everything in context. Daves chickens escape last winter kept comming up in my mind.

Sorry so long but hope others enjoy reading this as I enjoy reading other peoples comments when they have visited.

JILLIAN.

More about my holiday in scotland and the wildlife I saw at another time.

THANK YOU

Thanks jillian, great report. Glad you had a great time

Thanks for the "mini" update as well Debby. That Heather is a clever girl:)

Thank you Jillian. Your post brings back happy memories of a similar trip two years ago when the nest and hide were in a different location, as I understand it, further up the Loch, as the approach was from the Tobermory end. Do you think those 'fancy scope' people brought theirs because they knew Debby's was in the airing cupboard!!.  Sorry Debby!!.

Thank you for your comments Debby/Gary/Mike.

Is Dave back at work now and did he go anywhere nice on holliday or did he stay on the Costa Mull?

Withdrawel symptons from Mull so watched Gordons Eagel Island DVD twice yeaterday when ironing and was able to spot many places I recognised now. Lovely views of Loch Frisa and Frisa and Skye. If you havn't got this DVD it is well worth it (Bought throught Amazon), the scenery, wildlife, lighting and music are fantastic.

I spent 3 days on Mull and we explored all the A and B roads on the island which mainly were one track with passing places, in a motorhome it was a bit of a squash and several times on cliff edges, I shut my eyes, good job I wasnt the one driving. Reminded me of the Swiss roads but half the width.

If you havn't been I would definatly recommend it, Tobormoray was sweet and I had to buy some Ballormoray sweets from the shop and have my photo taken with the coloured houses so I can show my playgroup children that I have been to Ballormoray.

I also visted Iona and comming back along the coast had fantastic (Sunny and warm) views of many islands including Staffa (Fingles cave) which I had been interested in since I was 15 when we studied the overture that Mendlessohn had written when he visited the island many many years ago, unformtunatly I was not brave enough to go out in a small boat to vist it as the sea is so unpredictable and can change at any minute.

In Gordons DVD he see otters/seals/sharks/a whale. unfortunatly I didn't see any of those and was sure of seeing an otter in the sea weed or just off shore on one of the many sea lochs but no I had to see two otters at Obans sea Life Sanctuary and even they were hiding inside under a heat lamp lying on their backs so only had a quick view. Also saw 2 seals there, fortunatly 20 years ago I did see a colonay on a small island near Fort William.

When travelling on the Ross of Mull along the edge of a Loch towards Iona I spotted a brown, large bird which had a white mark at each end of its wing, I have looked in my bird book at home and wonder if it is a bird I have never heard of called a great skua? I noted that Debby also saw one last weekend so it might be possible.

On the same stretch of road but across the loch I also saw I think 2 eagels, one flying above the mountain and the other flying low above the  loch fishing. Unfortunatly due to the very few parking/stopping spaces on Mull and the fact that in the small space we could have stopped quickly there was a mini-bus with people looking through scopes on a wildlife tour, I was not able to have a better look or get my binoculars out, very dissapointing.

I did see many beautiful heron standing fishing at the edge of Lochs or flying low across them.

More on my thoughts on other islands I visited at another time.

I bet Debby and Dave are pleased they work with the non-migrating eagels as at Loch Garten number 1 osprey chick started her migration early and unusually before mum had left, we are now in for a nail-biting time as we track her and the other 4 leave, all very sad for us and the team as we don't know what will happen to them all.

I know the team at Mull will wish them a successful migtration and hope that mum and the same dad return safely next March/April.

JILLIAN, sorry if Ive bored anyone.