A sea eagle chick which became a TV star after she was filmed being pushed out of her nest by an adult eagle, has been spotted in the south west of Scotland.
The female white-tailed eagle made her first flight in July 2014 – just weeks after being muscled out of her nest on Mull.
And now she had amazed rescuers by showing up in Dumfries and Galloway, where the species has not bred for more than 150 years.
The bird, nicknamed Sona, which means “lucky” in Gaelic, was repeatedly sighted in the area throughout January.
Photographs and film were sent to the RSPB by bird-watchers in the region and the youngster was identified by her distinctive leg rings.
Members of the public also alerted the Mull Eagle Watch team to the 30ft fall in June last year, and the chick was returned to her nest by Forestry Commission Scotland climbers.
The drama was watched by millions of viewers of the BBC’s Springwatch series.
Dave Sexton, RSPB Scotland Mull Officer, said he was delighted to learn that she had bounced back in style.
“We know this bird well after all the drama last summer, and I’m extremely relieved to hear that she’s alive and apparently healthy,” he said.
“We got her back into her nest uninjured after her dangerous fall, and she fledged a few weeks later. But that’s often the last we’ll see of these young eagles, as they wander quite widely in their first few years.
“It’s unusual to have so many sightings of a juvenile like this in Dumfries and Galloway, even though it’s perfect eagle habitat,” he added.
“She’s gone from the Isle of Mull to the Mull of Galloway probably via the Mull of Kintyre, so she clearly likes to mull things over.”
White-tailed eagles – known as “the flying barn door” because of their 8ft wing span – were reintroduced to Scotland in 1975 after being hunted to extinction in the 19th century.
The first birds spread from Rum to nearby islands, where the population is now thriving.
An east coast re-introduction project began in 2007, with the first chick successfully fledged in 2013.
Sona’s mother, Sula, was a Norwegian bird released in the first year of the east coast project, showing the two populations are now starting to come together to breed.