Sea Eagle
The Oh Sew Mull stitchers came together from across the Isle of Mull to stitch the story of the 'Eagle Island', its community and its natural and cultural heritage.
This is their story.
Emblematic of the fauna of the Highlands and Islands are eagles, and most impressive of all are white-tailed sea eagles.
Britain’s largest raptor, with a vast wingspread of 2.5 metres and standing a metre tall; Highlanders call them ‘flying barn doors’. Like all predators, their stern gaze searches both water and land for movement. Preferring shallow water, the sea eagle swoops with claws outstretched to take a fish. They also prey on smaller birds and rabbits as well as eating carrion, especially in winter.
Sea eagles became extinct in Scotland but were reintroduced from Norway to the island of Rum in 1975 and to Wester Ross in 1993 and 1998. They are flourishing now and ornithologists were surprised and pleased to discover that the great birds not only survived but lived long lives. A young eagle was ringed on Skye in 1994 and the same male was seen on Mull in 2022.
The wild sea eagle dives for his catch.Image provided by Kirstie Campbell
FINDING INSPIRATION
I think I've learned an awful lot from doing the work that I've done and I've noticed how much my style of embroidery has changed since the journey stone to the work that I've done more latterly. It's become freer, it's become more confident...I can see how I've taken inspiration from the other people I've met and from the other designs that I've seen groups working on and the things that have been shared over social media have really encouraged me to work on the technique and really develop it.
- Susan Ringwood, Sensational Stitching
We've got about 18 pebbles that surround the eagle and we've chosen images that we think really represent the history and the culture and the landscape of Mull...the ones at the bottom have earth and sea in them and the ones at the top have more sky in them and there's a bit of a horizon. So, it looks like a picture of Mull with the eagle in front of it.
- Susan Ringwood, Sea Eagles, Pebbles and Stitching Emblems of Mull
Discover more stories from our group
The sea eagle panel uses some very special textiles produced by local crafters, Ardalanish Weavers. We captured their weaving and dyeing process on film as part of the Tapestry project. Discover more about the world of natural dyes and cloth in the short documentary below.
WITH THANKS TO THE OH SEW MULL STITCHERS
This panel was stitched by Tracey, Linda, Jennifer, Susan, Sarah P, Sarah S, Sharon and Jane who gave their time, skill and energy to completing a fantastic artwork for their area.
If you would like to see the panel up close and admire the detail of their work, please look out for the panel at an exhibition near you soon. To find out more, follow Inverness Castle Experience on Facebook for all the latest updates on the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands and the new visitor experience in Inverness, open 2025.
