Celebrations are taking off on Mull following the successful fledging of a young eagle from the nest.
Proud parents, Iona and Fingal, have spent 12 weeks raising the white-tailed eagle before it took its first flight off the huge nest.
Mull’s eagles are estimated to generate up to £5million towards the island’s local economy each year, with around £60,000 going back into local community projects.
Mull Eagle Watch (MEW) partnership rangers Rachel French and John Clare witnessed the first flight of the chick, which is thought to be a female.
Ms French said: “The youngster did extremely well, bearing in mind that this can be a scary time for a young bird. However, a little time after the first flight we saw her return to the safety of the nest.
“Since then, there have been many more flights, some getting much longer. We’ve also seen a spectacular crash landing but the youngster dusted herself off and was fine. It’s all part of the learning process.”
Both the adults and the youngster will remain in the territory and will now spend time near the hunting area as the chick learns how to survive.
Now is a good time to book visits to see the eagles although visitors should be prepared to walk one or two miles to view them.
Mull Eagle Watch is a partnership between Forest Enterprise Scotland, RSPB Scotland, Mull and Iona Community Trust, Police Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage.
To book a guided tour, call Craignure Visitor Information Centre on 01680 812556.
Tours take place from Tiroran in Glen Seilisdeir where the MEW has been based for the past three years.
The eagle parents have been regular stars on a number of TV programmes and featured on BBC’s Springwatch.
The MEW project is a 5-star VisitScotland attraction and was also awarded gold under the Green Tourism Business Scheme.