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Hi Dave yes all great news to celebrate can't wait for the news on new sat tagging they seem to give us lots of pleasure but also worry where they are.I feel they are never as safe as when they are on Mull which is almost unique in its protection of birds of prey.I am sure you have feelings of great pride that they are helping to perhaps colonise the mainland but tinged with worry when they are away.If you have any

influence with Breagha and Mara which you ought to have having looked after them so much ask them to come back to Mull in seventeen days time and I will surely give you best wishes.  

Always a worry when our teenagers go off on their travels Dave, let's hope that more and more people 'see the light' and come to realise that these beautiful birds are a real asset to the local economies rather than a threat. sounds like Mara has found a nice place, seems rather reminiscent of teenage boys...close to the local take away!

Good news Dave. I'm sure we all look forward to the new additions in due course.

Thank you Dave for your fantastic report. Have been following last years chicks, typical the girl is the most confident, glad she is seeing the fantastic sceenary of Scotland.

Will you be able to let us know how many of the chicks are male or female? and what half-pint is.?

Have you finished my sweets yet? Maybe someone else who is visiting will bring you more like the millions of cakes Richard at LG has been getting. I think the staff will need to diet in the winter months.

Been waiting for your new update and also following LG for much of each day to see who will start their migration next, fascinating.

Say hello to Debby and her daughter from me, on another hot/stuffy day here.

All the best JILLIAN.

Dave - thank you, that is a wonderful report about all the 'Mull' birds both far and wide, and the juveniles still close to home. How lucky we are to know what some of them are up to and I can't wait for the newbies to be introduced.  Have you always been good at keeping secrets?

You are very fortunate to have that 'host' of people watching out for the birds, may they all stay safe and live long peaceful lives, just as nature intended.  

Thanks for the update, Dave.  Lovely to have news of  Mara and Breagha's whereabouts and also to hear that all this year's chicks are doing fine.  Long may they stay safe and well!  Look forward to following the tagged chicks adventures.

Breagha certainly likes to fly doesn't she!!

And Mara has the right idea!! typical bloke, why hunt when there is some nice humans catching food for you!

Keep Safe!

Great news, especially about Kylesku. We have spent several summers up there recently, and the Culkein/Clashnessie/Drumbeg to Kylesku road (if you can call it a road!) will be even more glorious with a sea eagle around there again. The seas there are less rough than on the Stoer side (where the Old Man is), though a sea eagle would do VERY well at Lochinver with all its fishing - as the heronry knows.  We saw a golden eagle at Kylesku but they said (a couple of years ago) that they hadn't had sea eagles for a while. I wonder if Breagha will meet up with the Irish eagle who was/is on holiday in Sutherland, Caithness and Orkney. Have there been any locations for that bird since July 26?? Trust that neither of them will visit the estate that was poisoning buzzards in Sutherland this summer. Did you also hear the 7.26 slot on Radio 4's Today programme? news.bbc.co.uk/.../8206487.stm  Thank you, Dave - you have no idea how much I am loving the idea of Breagha visiting our favourite haunts: wonderful mountains, waterfalls, bays and inlets, sea arches, rocky promontories, seal colonies, etc etc etc. I wonder if she will pop over to Handa? It doesn't make up for not being up there this year, but it does the world of good to uplift thought and be reminded of all its glories. All that - and Breagha too.... O wow.

Thanks for the update, Dave! It's good to know that Mara, Breagha and all this year's chicks are doing fine.  Here's hoping they all keep away from the 'dangerous' areas and these unspeakable acts of cruelty, and long may they stay safe and well.  Looking forward to following the two new tagged chicks' adventures.

I hope so too Dave!  I saw the clip of the Sea Eagles on Coast last night.  It was lovely to see them.

Dave - re Alma: I am sure that you will have seen this or know about it, but just in case... Look at

www.brechinadvertiser.co.uk/.../Community-action-follows-death-of.5558572.jp  The local community is actually doing something positive. I notice that  'Angus Council leader and farmer on Millden estate, Bob Myles, said: "I agree with the first comment, but we have to be careful what we say until the outcome of the police investigation. Everyone is appalled with the death of the bird."' I trust that the Council leader's position on the Millden estate will not result in any bias. He was obviously being circumspect. Presumably he is a tenant farmer??

On a happier note, have you all seen these photos and the comments left? www.dailymail.co.uk/.../Sea-eagles-return-skies-East-Scotland-200-years-persecution.html I've restrained myself from leaving a comment. Perhaps some of you might like to?

Mex, thank you for all your links, I have read them all and promise to do my bit to put an end to the persecution of our wonderful raptors.

I know the area around Kylesku and after Skye it is my favourite. Next time I am up there I will keep a look out for sea eagles, it would be just the icing on the cake to see them against that wonderful landscape. Liz

Thanks for the update Dave and so glad all is well with the eagles.

10 chicks, wow! Excellent stuff. You must be so pleased:)

Hope you are settling back in after the holiday.

Thanks, Liz H and all others. Dave, Debby and everyone else: an other important link today is  www.timesonline.co.uk/.../article6805779.ece  I had suggested previously that the RSPB should contact Simon Barnes to publicize the Scottish atrocities. It is a great pity that he appears still to know nothing of it at all. I tried to post a comment, but didn't succeed. Can anyone else try perhaps?

Hi Dave a quick question,are the Corncrake still on Iona in September.  

Once you've answered Sooty's question, Dave, please would you tell me:  is it the same Angus estate that is under investigation concerning the poisonings of both White G and Alma? I'm not sure where Glen Ogil is in relation to Millden and I would like to be sure that I get my facts right. I have heard back from someone at Angus Community Council who also wrote to Roseanna Cunningham. This person was dissatisfied with the bland response received from the Minister's office. (It was also the same as the response I had received previously, so they are not putting much effort into replies, in contrast with what I had eventually received back from the Minister in London).  The man in Angus said the locals are very angry with the Millden estate, who have imported gamekeepers with un-Scottish attitudes (from Yorkshire).

Thanks, Dave. I've asked The Times why I can't post a message for Simon Barnes. Has anyone else tried? I will keep on being alert as to where we can all perhaps help and will keep you all posted, if it's at all helpful. Please do forgive me, everyone, if I rabbit on too much. I'm trying to ensure that this becomes in no way an ego-trip. I have never been the ego-tripping sort. It would just be good if I could be of some use outside my professional/academic work and my family life, etc, etc. I'll keep on posting everyone here about it because I am very, very far from being the only one that can DO something. I do hope that I have helped other people both here and outside this messageboard to feel that a little person CAN do something, however small, to help the birds - and that it might, just might, make the world a better place. We can only do what we can on our own little scale, in our daily lives. We have been given this phenomenal gift of the internet and - well, it's worth giving this our best efforts, isn't it? Every good wish - to you all.    

No success logging into The Times, but I have left a message on the RSPB News Blog calling attention to the Simon Barnes article. I don't know whom at the RSPB I should contact about this. I had previously asked various people at the RSPB to contact him in support against the poisoning of raptors in Scotland. However, he seems still unaware of this on-going barbarism, as he is singling out Scotland as the paragon of virtues. I have asked if there is anyone at the RSPB who can contact him - it's not too late for him to write an update. I would have thought that the RSPB could help in this. I said that publicity from people like him is vitally important - it might help to bring the villains to justice at long last, and, who knows, it might just deter further poisonings of more eagles. Surely he should be reminded of the tragic tale of Alma in Angus, as well as the golden eagle poisoned in Argyll and the buzzards being poisoned in various localities including Sutherland, not to mention your little White G. having a trip out to Angus...