(apologies to the Pointer Sisters!)
Well - its happened! Fingal and Iona are now the proud parents of two eaglets. Last week we were pacing the floor - watching for any hint of a change in behaviour. Indeed on Monday, Iona, our female, was very fidgety and kept looking down into the nest. Then on Tuesday, Fingal, her mate, did the same. There was also evidence of food on the nest, a sure sign things were imminent. And then on Wednesday we saw the first feed taking place. Very gently, Iona broke off tiny morsels of food and leant down into the nest for her young to remove from her. Another sign of a feed is the amount of saliva that literally pours from the females mouth. Its possible there are enzymes in the saliva that help breakdown the food for the newly hatched chick. Then on Friday, our visitors to Glen Seilisdeir were over the moon to see the first sighting of not one, but two white fluffy heads, just bobbing up and down.
Here is a short clip of Iona and Fingal on Friday having just fed the chicks
From now until about 6/7 weeks of age, the chicks will grow at a phenominal rate - lets hope the fantastic warm, sunny weather we have been experiencing on Mull continues for another couple of weeks. For the first two weeks of life, the young chicks are very vulnerable. They are unable to regulate their own body temperature so there is always an adult present on the nest, brooding the chicks - keeping them dry and warm. Fingal and Iona will take turns in sitting on them while the other goes off to find food, maybe some fish from nearby Loch Scridain, possibly a rabbit or even a fulmar.
The trips to our new location at Glen Seilisdeir are proving very popular. Dont forget if you are planning a visit, booking is essential. This can be done through our friends at the Craignure Visitor Centre on 01680 812556. The area is also proving great for other wildlife life too including an osprey which flew over last week, as well as willow warbler, crossbills at the top of the nest tree and some great sightings of golden eagles too. If you look at the map of our satellite tagged birds http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/tracking/mulleagles/ you will see that Midge came and paid us a visit. Midge was a chick from a nest on Mull and fledged in 2010 and its interesting to see the different areas our youngsters visit before they think about settling down with a mate and finding a suitable territory.
Of course we will keep you posted on the progress of our chicks - for those of you who use Twitter you can follow us @skyeandfrisa and on Facebook you can join our Mull Sea Eagle group.
Until next time
Debby Thorne
White Tailed Eagle Information Officer
Isle of Mull
Format: beDuration: 1
Just days after their first successful hatching in 2003 and hearing those chick feeding calls from the eyrie, the forest that morning seemed unusually quiet. On approaching my concealed observation point hidden in the trees, I could sense something was possibly wrong. A raven flew low over the tree top nest, but there was no reaction from Iona. Normally she would have called out in alarm or Fingal would have given chase. But nothing. Just silence.
The telescope eyepiece misted up from the sudden exposure to the chilly morning air. So frustrating! Was that still the top of Iona's head just visible on the nest? Yes, I was sure it was. All must be well. But as the condensation on the lens slowly reduced, the awful reality dawned. It wasn't Iona's head at all. It was just the sun catching a few feathers fluttering in the breeze. As the minutes, then hours, ticked by and there was no movement, it was sickeningly clear that something terrible had befallen their first nesting attempt. The nest was deserted. Fingal and Iona had gone. The chick (or chicks) must have died.
Iona on nest duty - photo copyright Debby Thorne
Eventually when I knew it was safe to do so, I emerged from my hiding place into the warming May sunshine. I stretched after being cramped for so long in the damp forest hollow and turned away from the nest to look up at the hills. Two distant humps on the horizon caught my eye and I focussed the 'scope on them. There were Fingal and Iona sitting close together on a grassy knoll, some consolation at least to still have each other. At times it looked like they didn't have a care in the world; they would preen, wing stretch, watch other raptor activity overhead with interest and Fingal even coughed up a huge pellet at one point.
Fingal enjoying a thermal - photo copyright Bryan Rains
But Iona kept glancing back towards her empty nest and eventually her strong maternal instincts overcame her. She launched off from her hummock and headed back to the nest for one last time; one last look. I hid again in the trees as she landed on the branch above the nest, peering down in that quizzical way of eagles. Then, with a great bound and flap of her wings, she jumped down and stalked around the nest rim. Despite the loss of her chicks, she still clenched her massive yellow talons as she did so. Stupidly, I even wondered for a split second if I'd got it all wrong and that all was well after all. But no.
After a minute or two and with a final glance down at what might have been, Iona jumped back up onto the branch and then flapped heavily away over the tree tops. She started to circle on the warm thermals where she was joined by Fingal and the two of them soared ever higher, calling occasionally, until they drifted away and over the summit of Ben More. There was no obvious cause of failure. Maybe just inexperience? They were still young birds. There was always next year.
In 2004 we were joined by cameraman Gordon Buchanan making his first full length 'Natural World' film for the BBC. We spent weeks planning his locations and subjects on Mull for the landmark documentary which would eventually become the highly acclaimed 'Eagle Island' (or 'Eagles of Mull' on TV in the US). It would become his springboard onto even bigger projects in the future including Spring & Autumnwatch and the numerous 'Lost Land...' series. But for now, all his focus was on Mull's amazing wildlife and his 'Eagle Island' film where the white-tailed eagles would be the stars of the show.
Fortunately for us, Fingal and Iona were back at their familiar eyrie for a second attempt. Over the winter they had added huge amounts of sticks and piles of grass lining to their nest and all the signs were good. By mid April they were well into their incubation. For all of us working to protect these birds, the 38 days of a white-tailed eagle's incubation can seem like it lasts for ever. Maybe it seems the same to them! For Gordon and I, those 5+ weeks couldn't pass quickly enough. Whilst Gordon filmed otters and seals along Loch Scridain and Loch na Keal, I maintained a vigil with Fingal and Iona, hoping more than anything that this would be their year for success...
Join us next time on the Mull Eagles Blog to find out how Fingal and Iona did in their second nesting attempt. Or come and see them for yourself at the All New Mull Eagle Hide in Glen Seilisdeir. Book a trip on 01680 812 556. Monday to Friday 10am and 1pm. Just £6 adults and £3 children. It'll be the trip of a lifetime. http://www.rspb.org.uk/datewithnature/146979-mull-eagle-watch and www.holidaymull.co.uk
Dave Sexton RSPB Scotland Mull Officer
Whilst the numerous unfaithful osprey pairings around the UK go about their daily soap opera shenanigans, our rock steady pair of white-tailed eagles, Fingal and Iona, stick to what's important in life: their eggs - their future. These amazing birds have known each others funny ways for a decade or more and have seen each other through thick and thin for many years. And they really know what matters: each other. They've had their ups and downs since Iona laid her first eggs in 2003. It was also my first few weeks in a new job as RSPB Mull Officer and they were my first new pair of nesting white-tailed eagles. I watched them closely that year, like a couple of newly-weds, keen, eager, trying to do the right thing but not always getting it right.
They glared in apparent bemusement as their first eggs actually hatched before their eagle-eyes - and mine from my hideaway in the forest. I saw them one early May dew-soaked morning both standing nervously on the edge of the nest peering down in to the nest cup. Unseen by me, the egg shell was cracking and a wet, slithery eaglet was emerging into the scary outside world. The bright spring sunshine must have made them all blink and the soft down around Iona's brood patch soon dried and warmed the new hatchling. A few days later, as Iona attempted to feed the chick I could even hear the quietest of squeaky food begging calls. Like any new mum, she was a little hesitant, uncertain and yet determined by instinct to do the right thing. Characteristically for white-tailed eagles with tiny chicks, she drooled copious saliva from that huge yellow bill, mixing it with the fresh rabbit prey supplied by Fingal - his first such delivery. And one of his most important. It made the bite-sized offerings more palatable and digestible - from Iona's giant beak to the wobbling gape of her offspring. Down it went. Piece by piece, day by day.
They had chosen their first nest site well. A big old Sitka spruce in Glen Seilisdeir in the south of Mull. Glen Seilisdeir means 'Glen of the Irises' in the Gaelic and by early May, the yellow flag irisis were well advanced with even a hint of the first flowers emerging. Below Fingal and Iona's nest, lapwings displayed in the fields, greylag geese had angry and noisy disputes on the saltmarsh of Kilfinichan Bay and a late-staying summer plummaged great-northern diver called mournfully from far out in Loch Scridain.
Fingal, our male white-tailed eagle - photo courtesy Bryan Rains - Wild About Mull Wildlife Tours http://www.wildaboutmull.co.uk/
It seemed the perfect Hebridean spring for Fingal and Iona's first nesting attempt. So many first timers never even get to this exciting stage. This perfect pairing of a handsome Norwegian-released male from 1997 and his flighty Scottish-bred partner from the misty Isle of Skye in 1998 had produced something very special at the first attempt. As I crept through the dark forest to the concealed observation point at the end of their first week, my heart was full of expectation and optimism...
Coming soon to the Mull Eagles blog...Fingal and Iona face up to the stark reality of life as a breeding pair of white-tailed eagles and we follow their impressive if challenging fortunes over subsequent nesting seasons.
You may have heard that this year we will be hosting the first-ever Scottish Birdfair on the 19th and 20th of May at Hopetoun House near Edinburgh. This is the first event of its kind in Scotland and will bring together over 5,000 people who love nature and wildlife. A wide range of workshops on topics like seabird tracking, foraging, migratory species, birds of prey and the science of conservation will all be on offer. And, with all proceeds going to support our conservation work in Scotland, there’s even more reason to join in the fun. Find out more about the Scottish Birdfair on the website: http://www.scottishbirdfair.org.uk/
Come and visit them yourself at the All-New Mull Eagle Hide 2012. Book a visit on 01680 812 556. Monday to Friday 10am and 1pm
courtesy Black Eyed Peas
We are back! Today was the first day at our new location in Glen Seilisdeir on the western side of the Island. Set against the stunning backdrop of Ben More, with lochs, forestry, plantations, we are in fantastic eagle country.
Due to ongoing forest management, Skye and Frisa will be stepping (or flapping!) out of the limelight for a while - they are fine and we will bring you news on them this spring as and when there is anything to report.
Glen Seilisdier, which means Glen of the Irises is home to Blue 9 (male) and Green T (female), a pair of white tailed-eagles who have made this stunning location their home since 2002. It was with great excitement that I greeted our first visitors this morning. We settled into our new forest hideaway and watched as Green T carried out the important duties of incubation. Every now and then, she would gently lift herself up onto the edge of her nest, gently roll her precious eggs before settling back down again. And then we saw a white flash - and in came Blue 9 to give his mate a break so she could go off to feed. She took some persuading but eventually lifted off and flew just a short distance to the conifers directly in front of us. We hardly dare breathe as the 2 of them called to each other. Blue 9 settled down and his mate flew off to find some lunch. Back at the hide, we had great views of the siskins on the feeders, chaffinches looking for nesting spots, goldcrests flitting about the trees, and a buzzard displaying to its mate. A great start to the season. Just time for a quick bite then off to collect the afternoon group. It was funny to watch him re-arranging the contents of the nest, that his mate had painstakingly arranged earlier in the morning. Then out of nowhere, unable to stay away too long, Green T returned. She was happy to sit on the edge of the nest and let her mate do his fair share of incubation. Then we caught sight of something large flying close to the nest and as we were trying to work out what it was, a third adult white tailed eagle flew straight over the nest - where it came from and who it was, we have no idea but what a sight.
Here is a photo of the male Blue 9 taken today having relieved Green T of her duties - shortly after taken this picture a snow blizzard came through! Please note photo only possible from the Mull Eagle Watch viewing area; Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) licence required for schedule 1 species (photo Debby Thorne)
Back at the hide, high above the glen, 3 huge birds were circling together. Even without looking through binoculars, there was no doubting they were golden eagles. On two of them, the white markings were clearly visible indicating juveniles and an adult. Across the ridge by Ben More, 3 buzzards enjoyed the an uplift and swooped and dived effortlessly.
What a fantastic start to the season. Our first visitors of the season went away on cloud 9 - a great start to their Easter holidays and raving about our new location.
Trips run Monday to Friday at 10.00 and 1.00 and can be booked through our friends at Craignure Visitor Centre on 01680 812556
Day 1 of the all new Mull Eagle Hide
L-R Michael Russell MSP, Moray Finch (General Manager, Mull & Iona Community Trust and Mike Cantlay (Chairman, VisitScotland)
at the VisitScotland Visitor Information Centre, Craignure who take the bookings for trips. Mull Eagle Watch and the new Eagle Hide at Glen Seilisdeir opened for business today. Call VisitScotland
on 01680 812556 to book a trip Monday to Friday 10.00 and 13.00.
Photo courtesy Alan Jack
Dont forget you can get up to date information by following us on Twitter @skyeandfrisa and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/65385337670/
White-Tailed Eagle Information Officer
Down through the ages, there are certain white-tailed eagles who you remember more than others. A bit like people really. Some are real characters; some have big adventures that make them stand out from the crowd and a few are just, well, special. Don't get me wrong, they're all special! But a handful have an extra special place in my heart.
Contrary to popular belief we don't name them all! A few have ended up with nick-names, others have been 'officially' named by local Mull school children (thanks to Simon King who started it all on the first ever BBC Springwatch in 2005 - thanks Simon!) and others might just be known by their wing tag colour, number or letter. But the vast majority are simply awesome eagles, just as they should be: utterly free of human labels, titles and traits and all blissfully unaware of the trappings of eagle celebrity.
Off the top of my head though I can still come up with quite a roll call of characters who we've known and loved. We often wonder where some of them are now. Some we know about through our pioneering satellite tracking study, others have been seen recently, others we know have soared off this mortal coil into the wide blue yonder and others are still a mystery waiting to be solved.
Here goes with the cast list: Blondie - the original and best, Misty and Lochan - the old timers, the legends that are Skye and Frisa and their many off-spring: Itchy and Scratchy, Haggis and Oatie, Mara and Breagha, Heather and Bracken, the flying satellite eagles: Venus and Oran, Midge and Shelly: then there's feisty 'Yellow Black-spot', 'White G' (RIP), the 'Free-fall Twins - 'Yellow P' & 'Yellow G', the X-Factor eagles, 'Green T', the Odd Couple. Any more? Ah yes, how could we forget the amazing one and only Kellan, recently described as "the Bruce Willis of the eagle world" having defied death on a number of occasions. I wonder who I've forgotten? No doubt someone will tell me!
Two of Mull’s ‘special’ white-tailed eagles
Photo copyright - Iain Erskine
We've written about many of them before on this Blog but here's a quick re-cap of one timeless character to get us going. Pour yourself a festive Bailey's or a Tobermory malt and remember...
Blondie was the female who fledged the first wild white-tailed eagle chick to be bred in Scotland - indeed the UK - for 70 years. That was in 1985 when she was six years old and her faithful mate was five. It was their second attempt. It was also at a time when people were beginning to get a little nervous about whether this reintroduction was ever going to work. After all, they had been releasing them on Rum since 1975, a full ten years earlier.
But Blondie finally proved the doubters wrong and with no one to teach her those essential maternal skills, she hatched her two eggs one mild spring morning and offered those precious, historic chicks their first meal. I can still see that big yellow beak turning left and right as she carefully moved her head to get the meaty morsels in the perfect position for the tiny beaks to accept it. Her massive talons safely clenched as she stalked around the nest rim and then settled back down to brood the downy bundles of joy. Ah, what a girl. She looked like she'd been doing it all her life but this was all new to her. Her inexperience eventually showed when we lost one of those first chicks at about three weeks old. Maybe not enough food came in, maybe some sibling rivalry?
All I know is we watched that remaining chick with an almost obsessive intensity, noting every move, every feed, every squirt. Nervous days and nights to be sure. And then following that longed-for maiden flight, what did Junior do? He gave us all heart failure as he ditched in the middle of the loch, floundered about and then vanished without trace. Was he dead or alive? No one knew until the following morning when we found him sitting hunched and bedraggled at the loch edge with Mum Blondie and the male either side of him for support. From then on he went from strength to strength and did what young white-tailed eagles are meant to do.
I so wish we knew where he is today. We didn't wing tag him in those early days so after he dispersed from the breeding area, we only got occasional sightings of a "young untagged sea eagle". I like to think he eventually settled down, years later and bred successfully himself. Knowing how long they can live, he could even still be out there today. I think he is. And what of Blondie and her mate?
In April 2000, she simply vanished one day from the nest where she'd just hatched that year's chicks. It was and remains a mystery to this day. She was too good and attentive a mother to abandon her new brood. Something else must have happened, perhaps a territorial clash with another eagle? We will never know but sadly we never saw Blondie again. Despite our best efforts and a helping hand with food, her bewildered mate just couldn't raise the chicks on his own and they too perished. For weeks, then months he waited for his mate's return. They'd been together for over 16 years. We'd find him perched at many of their favourite old haunts. His head occasionally tilting upwards to eye a high soaring eagle, to wonder and hope. But his wait was in vain.
I'm pleased to report that one year he did eventually find a new partner and they bred successfully for another three years before he too vanished from the hills and glens forever. That's the way of it. But the territory lives on with new occupants. And their offspring live on all down the west coast of Scotland. Blondie's dynasty is epic. Her chick from 1992 is none other than our very own Frisa who will be 20 herself in 2012. Blondie was just a stunner in all respects: always immaculate plumage, devoted mother and faithful mate and she's why I do what I do for the RSPB to this day. At least I can still watch Frisa today and sometimes catch a glimpse of Blondie in those piercing sunlit eyes.
Debby and I thank you for all your support, comments, Tweets and visits this year and wish you a peaceful and happy Holiday Season wherever you are in the world. Follow Mull's eagles @Twitter @skyeandfrisa. Let us know which of our other famous Mull white-tailed eagle characters mentioned above you'd like an update on or just want to hear more about. We'll maybe do a Christmas and Hogmanay Special? This Blog is back!