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You always make it sound absolutely great. Cant wait for next years Holiday.

Sandra

I am on my way.............see you soon.

That all sounds wonderful - thanks Debby - so glad that you're getting some sunshine at last.

I'll be there in spirit on Sunday - may even raise a glass :)

Lovely blog Debby it just sounds idyllic up there and so glad you have had some good weather, you certainly deserve it.  Glad Frisa, Skye and having "me" time and they are still keeping an eye on the weather.  Have a good fledge party all of you.

Hi all-well I can't beleive it's Friday again and I have been back at work for two and a half weeks of the term. The weather in southern Britain has been fantastic, warm enough for no cardigan's/jumpers after 10.am and the leaves have started turning now and the acrons falling. Lovely picture of the beach which had the tide in when I was there looking at it. Interesting to see that Mara and Bregha have settled on new areas for the moment and that our present family are all well.

Does Dave know how many of the chicks from the 10 on Mull were male or female?

It's also good to see that Rothes and Mallachie and Roy Dennis ospreys are doing well although poor Roy has had a few scary moments over the notorious Bay of Biscay.

I wish you all well at the hide during the Autumn season and hope you continue to have good views of Frisa and Skye. Hope you have heating in the hide!

JILLIAN

Hi Debby,Dave fellow bloggers,just back from two weeks on Mull,ten pm friday night 540 miles today will put longer blog on when more time but we saw Skye and Frisa 12 of the days and the other 2 days just saw one of them.We think we may have seen Heather but will have to see when sweep puts photos on computer to know one way or other.Icing on the cake was sooty and sweep meeting both Dave and Debby WOW.Hope you have a great Fledge party,cheers.      

Hi everybody have had time to read Swallow story and comments,seems Dave has everyone in tears.I can tell you all he is just as you imagine him and having met him and his lovely family picnicking and going beach-combing on the east side of Loch Na Kael on a Sunday he was also even then taking the chance to check up on a pair of Sea Eagles he was a bit concerned about.The really nice thing was he made time for both of us just as if we were Springwatch or whatever and we all know that doesn't always happen with busy people.We think when he reads this he will probably cringe a bit as I am sure he is a really humble man,made a special effort to meet sweep.Many thanks Dave.

We saw Skye and Frisa very high above the hide one evening playing and almost locking talons which was fantastic also on two separate days saw Yellow tag black spot and her mate perched in pine trees and when a Buzzard came over she became vocal and annoyed so he took the hint and scarpered I believe she is known as a nasty one but she still looked lovely

Hi Mex yes we were on Mull,we had some good replies back about the poisoning,think attitudes will gradually change as RSPB membership increases and more people become enthralled by raptors,feel sure people like yourself help quite a lot but it is a slow process and I feel the more people who get to places like the Loch Frisa hide will all talk about the wonderful birds and help things along.I think it is good some of us others are writing or they would think it was just one obsessed person so well done for getting others on board.    

Good to hear from Sooty and Sweep after the, er, little trip - we have missed you, even if Mull and Dave and Debby were enjoying you!

Thanks for the update and photo Debby, it must be really beautiful there now.  So glad all is well. Have a great party tomorrow, wish we could visit you, and help with the celebrations, but hopefully next year!

Sooty - how brilliant to see Skye and Frisa nearly every day of your trip!

Going to watch the Countryfile programme tomorrow evening, about the illegal shooting and poisoning of birds of prey. I do hope it will raise awareness even more.

Dave - partying now? Sooty/Sweep: so glad to hear of your trip - and confirming what was suspected about Dave!!! And no, it's not a good idea for just one of us to be too conspicuous/vocal in this sort of thing (willing though the person may be to help the eagles). I found Roy Dennis's blog at  www.roydennis.org/index.asp  He had been looking for Breagha at Dundonnell on Aug 29, but found another one instead (red/white 2). He also said on Aug 10 that some estates are killing everything which might be thought to interfere with red grouse, but that Glenfeshie estate is upset that 'their' Alma had been poisoned. He asked us to write to the politicians - but he also suggested the chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage. Do any of you others feel like trying? I am told by persons with 'other' outdoor interests that some Scottish organisations are under the influence of big estate-owners. Aim for the top at SNH and email ian.jardine@snh.gov.uk or better still, write to: Ian Jardine (Chief Executive), Great Glen House, Leachkin Road, Inverness, IV3 8NW  If we watch BBC1's Countryfile at 7 tonight, it may give some better ideas of what to say. Any offers, folks?

Hi everyone! Never posted here before, but I have enjoined a lot reading these blogs.

I though that I want to share the good news about seaeagles here in Finland. It has been a succesful summer, 349 chicks (by 1500 adult seaeagle pairs). Plus the ones that are "hiding". One pair even made their eyrie inlands at least 100 km from the sea (lots of lakes though nearby), to a 26m high pine. Two chicks were ringed in that nest.

It is so good to hear of Finland's success and to see Auntie joining our international community. One universal family. I saw on the Golden Eagle Trust petition that Finnish people stand high on the list of signatories - see www.goldeneagle.ie/portal.php  The internet has made the world a much smaller place, one in which all the 'little' individuals can play a greater role - and express big hearts. And Dave and Debby's blogs are certainly heart-warming!

Yes Mex good to have Auntie joining in feel sure that wildlife lovers all feel the same.I was under the impression Scottish Natural Heritage were heavily involved in defending the Eagles,perhaps Dave could tell us.One interesting part of our trip was that we made friends with a couple in another caravan at the farm Caroline Garnett and Colin her partner.Someone last year told me that Les her father keeps track of every Mull Sea Eagle chick and perhaps knows as much about them as Dave.What was nice was Caroline is a great spotter if any Eagles around so with Sweep being good as well Sooty was in clover.Coming home I am struck by what a nice group of bloggers are here,just what Dave and Debby deserve and how good it is to be kept in the know of all what is happening on Mull.

Thanks Debbie.  The beach looks just wonderful!

Thanks Mex for the link have added my name to the petition as everything possible must be done to protect these magnificent birds.

When I was there at the start of July it felt tropical with lots of tiny fish swimming around me in the crystal clear water when it was only knee high! Another great photo and reminder of Mull Debby.

Thanks Debby. Sorry, I don't know why I missed this update.

Welcome from Finland Auntie, what a great number of sea eagle chicks

Mull sounds lovely and one day..... Hope the party went well:)

Glad you had a good party.

Not a good evening last night (Tuesday) when I was checking my many wildlife webcams I check each day.

Firstly I had been following 3 owletts in a manmade nest in a Cornish barn through the Barn owl trust and they said that the eldest, male owlett had been found dead about 2 miles from the barn at the weekend. He left the barn for good on 10th August and they think he had starved to death. Next on checking my local paper I had as I expect Sooty and Sweep had also been following the adventures of a femal bottlenose whale which had been swimming/diving etc, just opff Bournemoth/Poole beach for a week. At the weekend she was not seen and it was thought she was making her way down to the Bay of Biscay. Unfortunatly she was found dead just offshore on Tuesday morning an an autopsy has been carried out. She had many cuts on her head and stomach which they think possibly came from a net or rope recently causing her to drown. We will know more next week. Very sad as you soon get attached to wildlife which you want to do well and live for many years.

JILLIAN-Hopefully someone has a positive wildlife story to tell.

PS Dave-any news of the swallow?

Yes Jillian we have a nice ending to a sad story.We have several fishing lakes that we often walk around and a pair of Swans hatched just two cygnets unfortunately a male intruder we think killed one and the other must have hidden until the coast was clear.With the help of fishermen and bird lovers feeding it when possible it is now a lovely Swan but still Grey at the moment but we have seen it mixing with older Swans so surely now a happy ending to this tale.

BBC news has details of the Sea Eagles in Scotland this year. news.bbc.co.uk/.../8270703.stm.