White-tailed eagles
These magnificent eagles are the largest birds of prey in the UK, and are one of the biggest birds of Britain, with a wingspan of over 8 ft! White-tailed eagles build their nests on cliffs along the coast or in trees further inland and stay faithful to the nest, often for many years. They are truly beautiful birds, with amber eyes and are sometimes magically known as the ‘eagle with the sunlit eye’. They excite the imagination; I love to picture them soaring through the awe-inspiring landscapes of western Scotland, with their glinting eyes piercing the horizon.
A tragic loss of our heritageThe white-tailed eagle was persecuted to extinction in the UK during the Victorian era. Before their recent reintroduction, the last native bird was shot in Shetland in 1918. Now confined to Scotland, this magnificent bird once had a much larger range, with reports of the species in 17th century as close to London as Wimbledon common and Epping Forest.
In the beginning…Following small-scale releases in Scotland, the government’s Nature Conservancy Council initiated a programme of releases, which involved bringing 82 young birds from Norway to the island of Rum off the west coast of Scotland between 1975 -85. The RSPB became involved in the late 1970s, and since then, this population has recovered steadily. As birds released on Rum started to wander around western Scotland, the RSPB was given the role of finding, monitoring and protecting newly occupied territories.
The first reintroduced white-tailed eagles bred in 1983, and the first chick fledged in 1985. However, because white-tailed eagles do not start breeding until they are five or six years old, and productivity is low, the increase in the population was slow. With the numbers so low, there was a real risk that chance events could lead to the reintroduced population becoming extinct. To minimise the risk of extinction, a further 58 Norwegian eaglets were released between 1993-98, by Scottish Natural Heritage in Western Ross.
Triumphs!The population in western Scotland is now growing at an estimated 10% per year. It can therefore be considered self-sustaining. This is an amazing triumph for a species that was confirmed extinct nearly 100 years before. A real reason to celebrate!
A project to establish a new population in eastern Scotland, began in 2007 and is due to be completed in 2012. There is still plenty of apparently suitable habitat which is unoccupied by white-tailed eagles, giving good scope for population growth.
Following the reintroductions, in 2009, 46 pairs of eagles successfully fledged a total of 36 chicks.
Persecution of the white-tailed eagleSadly, the reason for the historical extinction still poses a threat today. Persecution. There has long been held the misguided belief that white-tailed eagles pose a significant threat to game management and sheep rearing interests, due to their feeding behaviours. In the past, after the conversion of the highlands to sheep farming, bounties were set for any white-tailed eagles killed. Despite common preconceptions, white-tailed eagles are generalist and opportunistic hunters and scavengers. Carrion is an important part of their diet as well as fish, waterbirds, rabbits and hares. Independent research undertaken by the Food and Environment Research Agency and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology has shown that many fewer lambs are taken than previously believed and in the vast majority of cases, those that are taken, are sickly, weak or taken as carrion. Unfortunately, there is much misinformation about the ecology of white-tailed eagles and this increases public and stakeholder concerns.
Keeping an eagle eyeBird crime 2009, published in September of this year, reported that at least 6 eagles have died from poisoned baits since reintroduction projects began in the UK. This may seem small, but actually constitutes a large proportion of the population and is particularly problematic for such a long-lived, slow reproducing species.
Protection and surveillance will play an important role in safeguarding nesting birds from illegal disturbance and nest robbing. If we want white-tailed eagles to thrive alongside people as their range expands, through both natural range expansion and further reintroduction projects, it is crucial to communicate the negligible risk they pose to human interests.
Many local communities in western Scotland value and protect the white-tailed eagles. There are of course people who don’t like white-tailed eagles, and have concerns about their impacts on livestock etc. We’re always willing to talk to them. Farmers and land managers have played a huge role in this project, and it is important to acknowledge some of the issues they face in living and working with eagles on their land. On the other hand such projects can have positive effects on the communities in which they take place.
Eye spy eagleOn Mull the eagles have excited the public imagination and a public viewing project has been running for ten years. Most local wildlife tourism businesses say the eagles are the top species people want to see when they visit Mull. The eagles bring £2 million each year to the island economy through spend on goods and services – and it’s sustainable income. The eagles are also bringing significant other benefits to local communities. The provision of dedicated educational materials allows local teachers to use the eagles as a teaching resource. Moreover, a percentage of the payments made by visitors to the viewing hide is passed to the Eagle Fund. And, in the 2009/10, £13,000 from the Mull Eagle Fund was distributed to a diverse range of local community projects, including the repair of a war memorial and a sailing club for training local children.
In the future…It would be wonderful to bring this much misunderstood bird back to it’s rightful home in lowland England. Unfortunately, the current cuts in public spending have forced Natural England to withdraw from plans to do just that. Until money can be found and public misconceptions overcome we can only dream of that sunlit eye scanning the English countryside once again. And maybe make the occasional trip to Mull!