As I type this blog, the rain is falling hard and fast - our house sits on a slight incline, and the rain is running down the front path forming a small river, then turning into a mini waterfall at the front door step! It has rained everyday since last Tuesday - not just drizzle but heavy, persistent rain while a lot of the UK has been basking in sunshine and hot temperatures. To test the power of positive thought, please can our readers send some dry weather our way. Just relieved we dont have any chicks on nests.
As you can imagine, our birds have been hunkered down for most of the week. Heather came out and gave a spectacular flying display in between one of the showers - she has gained so much confidence in her flying - not so many wobbles as she glides and turns. Skye and Frisa are still staying close to her, keeping an eye on their youngster. Half Pint and his sister have being practising short flights too, with Mum and Dad not very far away.
Our young buzzards have been keeping us entertained at the hide this week - we have two families who have fledged and we are getting some great views of them practising hunting, diving and how to land in a tree.
As I returned from a short visit to Oban yesterday afternoon, I had some great views of diving gannets - they are really amazing to watch. As we were pulling into Craignure and I was pointing them out to my daughter, she said "never mind the gannets - what's that?" Two dark fins were protruding from the water "That my dear is a basking shark" I replied. We are very lucky to witness such wildlife on our shopping trips!
Gannet - Photo Debby Thorne
We will keep you updated on news but in the meantime, I am off to build an ark!
Debby Thorne
White Tailed Sea Eagle Information Officer, Isle of Mull
Pleased to hear the youngsters are doing well Debby but sorry you are having such awful weather. I don't want to rub it in but it has been glorious here. It has been sweltering at Birdfair in the marquees. It doesn't seem long since it was the other way around though does it?
Hi Debby yes not very good for you or Eagles,feel sure it will clear up soon.In the south one bonus of the wet weather seems to be extra broods of smaller birds such as blackbirds down I think I even saw some young Goldfinch just fledged without much colouring today.Thanks for reply Dave.
You could turn the Glen Forsa Hotel upside down - that would make a good ark!!
Debby, I won't spoil your lovely blog, your spectacular shopping trip and your impersonation of Noah (or was it St Swithin?) with not-so-jolly comments, so I have left stuff for Dave, you and anyone else, after his previous blog.
Hello Debby and fellow bloggers-I keep trying to send the hot/muggy weather to Scotland for you as I don't like it hot.
Mixed few days for me as I had a fantastic time at Bournemouths 4 day airshow and went on saturday, the Red arrows were their normal fantastic selves, had a lovely paddle in the sea before returning up to cliff tops to hide in some shade to watch the days events.
Very sad tonight as one of my 4 guinea pigs Snowy (one of triplets) had had a badder stone removed last week after being ill for 6 weeks and many trips to the vets before being dianosed, he came through the operation well but was not picking up well over last few days and I had to rush him to the vets as he developed respitory problems today, unfortunatly he died half and hour after the vet kept him to give him antibiotics. It has been very upsetting as he had got so thin and lost all his hair undreneath. We still have his brother (hope he will not pine alone now in hos cage) Coco and his mum and dad. Unfortunatly his sister died last year of kidney problems. The vet said he had developed breathing problems from the stresss of the operation and there was nothing we could do, although it is not a comfort at the moment.
Thanks for blog Debby, is half-pint definatly a boy and does Dave know how many male/female chicks there are this year on Mull?
JILLIAN
Debby - thanks for update. Pleased to hear such good news of Heather, and other chicks. Like Jillian I wish I could send you our hot humid weather, we are desperate for some rain here in the south-east. I often look at the Glen Forsa webcam to see how your weather is! Our garden birds making use of the bird bath, and feeders, we have had regular visits from (what appears to be a family of) goldfinches this year.
Jillian - so sorry to hear about Snowy. It is always really sad when a loved pet dies. Thinking of you.
My brother and his G friend have just come back from a very wet Mull, their tent flooded :-S But all the same had a lovely time. Saw a fantastic Adult eagle at Calgary, and a couple of Adults at Loch Na Keal, Very jealous of them.
It is good that the eagles are up and about now though.
I am coming up in about 6 weeks, so your blogs get me excited :-)
And wow Debby, not a bad day shopping - if you get to see a Basking Shark. I think yours and Daves children are so lucky to grow up where they are.
Thanks for Blogging Heather(the human, not sea eagle)
Any date on the Blue Peter show when they were at the hide?
Saw the eagles on coast the other day, very grand !
I see that the year-old sea eagle who left Ireland and is on his holidays in Scotland has been at the Kyle of Durness for a few weeks now, after leaving Orkney and Caithness. I wonder if he was trying to go home to Norway? (He was re-introduced to Eire from near Trondheim in 2008).
You in Scotland will have seen this, but for the rest of us, see news.scotsman.com/.../Birds-of-prey-killings-.5587084.jp for the RSPB's horrible annual report on illegal killings. But also, at last a good bit of news about a gameeper, who saved a red kite on the Black Isle - news.scotsman.com/.../Unlikely-hero-saves-bird-of.5565759.jp
hope you've dried out a bit since the post Debbie, glad to hear Heather is making good progress and i love your photos! gannets and a basking shark...nope don't think I've ever seen anything like that on my trips to the shops!
Hmmm. Hope it stops raining soon. Planning to be on Mull from next tuesday!
Hi Debbie and Dave and all the bloggers..
Well, I am finally in France now and have bought a house...The migration to here went well. It was a long and arduous journey from Scotland but we didn't get lost !!!!
Rothes the Osprey from LG has decided to sojourn just north of me which is nice and I am getting to know all the local birds...
It is quite exciting that the big migration of our summer birds in the UK come back here for the winter so we are looking forward to seeing lots of our old friends..
Also trying to catch a glimpse of the HOOPOO...Haven't succeeded yet but will keep trying..
So glad that Skye and Frisas new family has done so well and are now fledged..
It will be lovely to follow all your reports through the winter here and hear of all your and Daves stories to keep us birdnuts happy.
I will keep you up to date on the goings on over here and any good sightings I get of anything of interest.
Hope the weather calms down into a long lovely Autumn so that that the young birds can all get their schooling done in record time and they can grow into fine young adults..
Keep up the grand work you do...
Au Revoir..Barbara
Thanks as always Debby and I'm sure you are nice and dry now...............
Sometime in July I asked whether the 2 Sea Eagles talked about on Autumn Watch (Itchy and Scratchy) in either 2007 or 2008 were still around (or even if their whereabouts were known). Unfortunately in amongst the other blogs it was overlooked and no answer was forthcoming - could you please confirm whether they are still on Mull or not?
Reply: Hi Liz, sorry for the delay! Itchy & Scratchy were the Springwatch chicks in 2005 and we searched for them last year in Autumnwatch as they would be bearing adulthood now. We got confirmed reports of Scratchy at Roy Bridge in Inverness-shire (eating fish by a river and a sheepdog scavenging bits of bones etc from him!) and we last saw Itchy on Mull earlier in 2008 but nothing very recently. One possible record of Scratchy at Loch Awe earlier this year but not confirmed to my knowledge. They will be experienced eagles by now and there's no reason (apart from direct persecution) why they shouldn't both still be out there somewhere. 2010 will be an exciting year as they will both be adult and may have paired up somewhere - our challenge (and yours!) will be to find them. Dave
Really great to see the numbers of fledglings this year - wonder where they are all going to nest in a few years time?! Maybe next year I'll get over there to see them for myself - when is the best time to visit? Are there any plans to set up a webcam at a nest site favoured by Frisa and Skye?