In the winter Golden Eagles are very easy to see as pairs patrol together for hours around the coastal lowland. They can be heard calling and skydiving from November to February when they can also be seen at Treshnish wood collecting sticks for nest repairs. This year a pair was last seen together on 1st March and after this date sightings are less common as the birds stray much less far from their nest sites. In Scotland egg laying begins in March so the mutual soaring, undulating dives and calling observed in winter can be considered bonding and mating behaviour.
In mid March ‘Brèagha’ one of the two satellite tagged 2008 chicks of White-tailed Eagles from Loch Frisa was on Cruachan Treshnish. In mid winter one of them was also over the nearby hills by Beinn an Lochain. Photographs were also taken of one of the satellite tagged birds fighting with a Golden Eagle at Burg on 1st February 2009. At the end of March ‘Brèagha’ was seen to have flown across Ardnamurchan along the coast of Eigg, over Rum to Canna where it stayed for what looked like a couple of days before flying back to Rum. One of this pair has flown to the mainland before but this is as far as I am aware the first trip to one of the other islands.
Discussion with local lobster/crab fishermen reveals that the sighting I had of 2 Iceland Gulls on and around one of their boats in mid December 2007 was not unusual. Apparently they often follow their boats and more so in recent years but they did know about possibility or separation from Glaucous Gull so that is worthy of future investigation.
In mid March ‘Brèagha’ one of the two satellite tagged 2008 chicks of White-tailed Eagles from Loch Frisa was on Cruachan Treshnish. In mid winter one of them was also over the nearby hills by Beinn an Lochain. Photographs were also taken of one of the satellite tagged birds fighting with a Golden Eagle at Burg on 1st February 2009. At the end of March ‘Brèagha’ was seen to have flown across Ardnamurchan along the coast of Eigg, over Rum to Canna where it stayed for what looked like a couple of days before flying back to Rum. One of this pair has flown to the mainland before but this is as far as I am aware the first trip to one of the other islands.
Discussion with local lobster/crab fishermen reveals that the sighting I had of 2 Iceland Gulls on and around one of their boats in mid December 2007 was not unusual. Apparently they often follow their boats and more so in recent years but they did know about possibility or separation from Glaucous Gull so that is worthy of future investigation.
