WHITE-TAILED EAGLES RELEASED IN SECRET LOCATION ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT

22nd August 2019 07:45

Island Echo

A pair of white-tailed eagles have been reintroduced to the Isle of Wight this week for the first time in 240 years, with a further 4 eagles to be released today (Thursday).

The huge birds of prey, which can boast a wingspan of up to 8ft, were released in a secret location yesterday (Wednesday) and a further 4 will be let out into the wild this week. It is hoped that a total of 60 birds will be released over the next 5 years at a cost of £250,000.

As previously reported by Island Echo, the Forestry Commission and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation have been working together to reintroduce these animals to the South and, more specifically, the Isle of Wight. The plans were originally announced in October 2018 and a licence was granted in April of this year.

It will take several years for the young birds to become established and breeding is not expected to start until at least 2024. However, over the next month or so the animals will start to disperse across the Island and will become a regular sight thereafter. During this time the birds will be closely monitored using satellite tracking devices and data on the movement of the birds will eventually be made available on the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation website.

Continued

Mull eagles beat the royals with new arrival

Martin Laing

It isn’t just the royal family who are celebrating the arrival of a new baby – as a pair of Mull’s famous white-tailed eagles just beat them to it.

The eagles at the North West Mull Community Eagle Watch are believed to have hatched one egg sometime in the 24 hours before the royal birth was announced but rangers monitoring the nest from a distance were only able to confirm a feed this week.

All eyes are now on the public nest in the community-owned forest at West Ardhu to see if it is, in fact, twins for the eagle pair, who are known as Hope and Star.

The 12-year-old female Hope had become increasingly reluctant to leave the nest near Dervaig when her nine-year-old mate Star landed to take over incubation duties – a sure sign that she was hearing the chicks calling from inside the egg and did not want to leave them.

Sea eagle eggs hatch a day or two apart, so hopes were still high that there would be another arrival.

Continued 

Wildlife expert rejects calls to control sea eagles

By David Miller

BBC Scotland environment correspondent

One of Britain's leading wildlife experts has rejected calls for the number of white-tailed eagles in Scotland to be controlled.

Prof Des Thompson, principal adviser on Biodiversity at Scottish Natural Heritage, has told BBC Scotland there is no reason why the white-tailed eagle population should not reach "several hundred breeding pairs".

The calls for control measures have come from farmers and crofters, amid an increasingly-heated dispute about the impact the birds are having on sheep.

The birds, which are also known as sea eagles, were reintroduced to Scotland from Norway after centuries of persecution here.

The return of the white-tailed eagle to Scotland's skies is seen by conservationists as a success story.

But sheep farmers say they have deep concerns about the increasing numbers of the birds. There are about 80 breeding pairs on the west coast of Scotland and sea eagles have now begun breeding on the east coast.

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First White-tailed eagle chicks fledge in Ireland for 110 years

Growing population should see more chicks in 2014

July 2013. Two White-tailed Eagles have successfully fledged in Ireland for the first time in over 110 years. In the last week the two birds were seen away from the nest and yesterday both chicks were seen flying near the nest on Lough Derg, near Mountshannon, Co Clare. This pair also created history in 2012 when they nested for the first time. It is another significant milestone in the long arduous effort of restoring these magnificent birds to Ireland's wetlands and coastline.

First Irish born chicks since 2007 reintroduction

These are the first Irish born chicks of the high profile reintroduction programme, which began in 2007 with the release of young Norwegian eagles in Killarney National Park. The White-tailed Eagle reintroduction programme is managed by the Golden Eagle Trust in partnership with, and funded by, the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Over the coming years, it is hoped that more of the 10 territorial pairs of White-tailed Eagles monitored and located this spring, between Cork and Galway, will nest, lay eggs and hopefully rear young. Other maturing birds, released in recent years are also likely to augment the breeding population over time. It is hoped that in time these Irish bred chicks, from Lough Derg, will survive and breed themselves in 2017 or thereafter.

Read on

Eagles and other raptors still being poisoned in Ireland

Wildlife continues to suffer as illegal poisoning shows no signs of dying out - Courtesy of BirdWatch Ireland 

February 2013. The recent deaths of two White-tailed Eagles in south-west Ireland have once again raised serious concerns over the continuing incidents of illegal poisoning in the country. Despite changes to the legislation in 2010 which effectively banned the use of poison meat baits, this archaic practice is still being carried out by a small minority in the Irish countryside, with devastating effects on wildlife.

The carcasses of the two dead White-tailed Eagles:

note the radio trasmitters on each bird 

(Photo: Valerie O'Sullivan)

Eagle poisoned in west Cork
In January of this year the carcass of a female White-tailed Eagle was discovered by a member of the public near Glengariff in west Cork. Subsequent toxicology analysis confirmed that the bird had died from poisoning. A second White-tailed Eagle was also found dead near Caherdaniel in County Kerry in the same month, and although poisoning is suspected it has not been possible to confirm the cause of death.

100 sea eagles released - At least 12 poisoned
White-tailed Eagles were once relatively widespread in Ireland, but became extinct in this country during the 19th century, largely as a result of human persecution. Since 2007, a total of 100 eagles have been released in Killarney through a re-introduction project managed by the Golden Eagle Trust. Although 2012 marked their first breeding attempt in Ireland in over 100 years, the issues which originally led to these magnificent birds being wiped out from this country over a century ago have unfortunately not disappeared. Twenty six eagles have been found dead since their re-introduction began in 2007, and it has been confirmed that at least twelve of these were poisoned.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/ireland-poison-2013.html