White-Tailed Eagles on the Isle of Mull

Mull's 'Celebrity' Eagles

A Worldwide Focus

With a healthy population of between 22 - 30 pairs, the Isle of Mull can boast one of the highest breeding densities of Golden Eagles in Europe. Largely as a result of their preferred mountain and moorland habitat on the island, Golden Eagles are less likely to be encountered by the casual birdwatcher visiting Mull, particularly during the breeding season. However, much of Mull's White-tailed Eagle population can be seen at the coast, with several breeding localities in close proximity of public roads, which can make the viewing of these awesome birds easier.

The long-running partnership that makes public viewing of White-tailed Eagles possible on Mull has turned the resident breeding pair at Loch Frisa ('Skye' and 'Frisa') into 'celebrities', aided by their inclusion on flagship national television programmes, such as 'Springwatch' and 'Autumnwatch'.

In recent years, local schoolchildren on the island have been asked to give a name to each new chick that hatches at the Loch Frisa nest. This has engaged local youngsters with the work that is being done to ensure the survival of Mull's expanding Sea Eagle population and has been a wonderful public relations exercise and a powerful marketing tool. A huge surge of interest in White-tailed Eagles on Mull coincided with BBC television's 'Springwatch' programme following the daily lives of two chicks at Loch Frisa in 2005. 'Itchy' and 'Scratchy', as they were lovingly  and amusingly named, were to become the most media-friendly birds in the country, as wildlife enthusiasts craved the latest information regarding the movements of these young eagles.

The two successful chicks that were raised at this site in 2008 were named 'Breagha' (female meaning beautiful in Gaelic) and her sibling brother, 'Mara' (Sea). Young eagles are known to travel extensively (if not terribly far) during their early years and 'Breagha' and 'Mara' have proved no exception. Fitted with state-of-the-art satellite tags, anyone interested can follow the movements of these young sea eagles via the internet. 'Breagha', now in her third calendar year, had moved northwards to the Isle of Skye, where she remained into 2010. 'Mara' appears to be more of a home bird, having chosen to remain closer to Mull, favouring an area across the Sound of Mull at Loch Sunart.

The chicks of 2009, 'Venus' (female) and 'Oran' (male) have been very mobile. 'Venus' has been spotted travelling in Mid-Argyll and on the Isle of Jura, while 'Oran' has more of a wanderlust, which has taken him south to Northern Ireland and to the bird-rich island of Islay.