0:00:08 > 0:00:12The rugged, timeless beauty of the Isle of Mull.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19This is the setting for a soaring wildlife success story
0:00:19 > 0:00:23about our most magnificent bird of prey...
0:00:25 > 0:00:28..the white-tailed sea eagle.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31More than a third of all British sea eagles
0:00:31 > 0:00:35live on this one island.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41So just what is it that makes Mull an eagle paradise?
0:00:49 > 0:00:51My name is Gordon Buchanan.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54As a wildlife cameraman, I've travelled the world
0:00:54 > 0:00:57filming some incredible animals.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01But Mull is my home.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07This is where I grew up and learned to love watching wildlife.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26Lying off the west coast of Scotland, Mull is part of the Inner Hebrides.
0:01:32 > 0:01:38The twisting and turning coastline stretches for an amazing 300 miles.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41And all along the coast
0:01:41 > 0:01:44we'll find sea eagles.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49These fantastic birds are thriving in Mull,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53and I'm so pleased to see just how well they're doing here today.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Because when I was a boy, there were no sea eagles here at all.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04By the 19th century, eagles had become public enemy number one.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09Blamed for lost livestock, these beautiful birds
0:02:09 > 0:02:12were shot and poisoned,
0:02:12 > 0:02:14with ruthless efficiency.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21The last, lonely bird was shot dead in 1918.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27They had become officially extinct in Britain.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35The sea eagle's miraculous return
0:02:35 > 0:02:38is one of the great British conservation stories,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and it begins, not on Mull, but the neighbouring island of Rum.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48In the late '60s, a group of daring scientists chose Rum,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51an island nature reserve, for a revolutionary plan.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55They would bring young eagles from Norway and release them here,
0:02:55 > 0:03:00hoping that they might be the pioneers of a new population,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04a chance to bring the phoenix back from the flames.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19This was truly groundbreaking conservation.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23But the plan would take patience and dedication.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Over three decades, 140 birds were released.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33And happily for the scientists, they settled quickly into their new home.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45These noble lords of the sky aren't above a little common theft.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54But they're more than capable of catching their own dinner.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16And that's when you can enjoy them at their spectacular best.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23The birds were doing well, spreading out to other islands.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25But there were no eagle babies.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28The whole project would fail miserably,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30if the eagles couldn't raise a new generation.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42Finally, in 1985, the great day came.
0:04:42 > 0:04:43And it was here on Mull
0:04:43 > 0:04:48that the first precious bundle of feathers came into the world -
0:04:48 > 0:04:53the first sea eagle raised in Scotland for 70 years.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57But why choose Mull?
0:05:00 > 0:05:04What is it about this place that's helped them do so well here?
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Well, for starters, there's loads of ideal places
0:05:09 > 0:05:14for them to build a nest, high up where the chicks are safe.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21But the parents must provide the chicks with food as well as lodging,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and Mull has an abundant, if rather unexpected,
0:05:24 > 0:05:26source of prey for the sea eagles...
0:05:28 > 0:05:29Rabbits.
0:05:33 > 0:05:39The eagles aren't fussy feeders, and rabbits, along with the odd hare,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42are a favourite here on Mull.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01CHICKS CHEEP
0:06:01 > 0:06:04They'll even take the occasional lamb,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07a fact that local farmers have learnt to live with.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12All in all, there's plenty of food here,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16which gives the adults a great chance of raising chicks.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18But what makes Mull really special
0:06:18 > 0:06:21is the way the local people have taken them to heart.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Each Spring, Mull's Eagle Watch swings into operation,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33and the whole island works together to keep an eye on THEIR eagles.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35It's such a great scheme,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39with so many different individuals and organisations working together.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45With all this help from the community,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47sea eagles are now doing so well,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49they've become a major tourist attraction,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59and no-one more than Mull's very own eagle A-list...
0:07:04 > 0:07:06..Skye and Frisa.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09Skye's the female.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12She's on the right, with Frisa the male sat next to her.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15They've been together for ten years now.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17I've got to know them like old friends.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23And millions tuned in to watch the pair
0:07:23 > 0:07:27when the BBC Springwatch team visited Mull in 2005.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33I think they make an exceptional couple.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36They seem such caring and attentive parents,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38and successful ones
0:07:38 > 0:07:41despite the sometimes harsh conditions
0:07:41 > 0:07:43that Mull can throw at them.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56In nine years, they've managed to raise an incredible 16 chicks.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Undoubtedly, Mull's most prolific pair of sea eagles.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03EAGLES SQUAWK
0:08:06 > 0:08:10With plenty of food, places to nest and the friendly locals,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14the future's bright for these magnificent birds.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Over time, they'll continue to spread beyond Mull and the Hebrides,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20and I hope that wherever they go,
0:08:20 > 0:08:25they'll find the acceptance and the success that they've found here.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30For me, Mull will always be paradise.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38It's great to know the eagles love it here just as much as I do.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Subtitles by Heather Middleton Red Bee Media Ltd
0:08:55 > 0:08:57E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk