East Scotland Sea Eagles

East Scotland Sea Eagles
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Frequently asked questions

Why do we need to re-introduce sea eagles?

The sea eagle (also known as the white-tailed eagle) is a native species that was exterminated by humans in the 19th Century. We need to help safeguard and boost the existing Scottish population and increase genetic diversity. The global population has suffered declines due to persecution, habitat loss and pollution.

What's special about sea eagles?

They are one of Scotland's most beautiful and inspirational birds. It is the fourth-largest bird of prey in the world and the largest in the UK. They play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

How rare are they?

The global population is still very small at only 9,000-11,000 pairs, two-thirds of which breed in Norway and Russia. Between 5,000–6,600 pairs are in Europe. The sea eagle is still extinct as a breeding species in many parts of its former range; it's designated as 'vulnerable' in seven European countries, endangered in seven and 'critically endangered' in two.

A total of 42 pairs bred on the west coast of Scotland in 2007, producing 34 chicks. There are around 200 individuals in Scotland

What do they eat?

Whilst in cages, the birds are fed a diet of 'wild' (not farmed) foods including fresh fish (important as it contains the vitamins and nutrients needed as the chicks grow), rabbit, deer and some roadkill.

In the wild, they are opportunistic hunters and carrion feeders (the diet of birds on the west coast contains remains of over 40 species of bird, mammal, fish and mollusc) - they will catch a variety of fish, birds (including gulls, ducks, waders and crows), rabbits and hares.

Larger prey such as deer will be taken as carrion. They regularly pirate from otters & other birds.

Since release the birds have been observed eating rabbits, hares, dead deer and sheep, road kill, gulls, geese and swans

Why east Scotland?

This area is great habitat for sea eagles. It has shallow, productive waters and a plentiful food supply. Reintroducing the birds here will help fill in this gap in their range.

Why bring them to a populated area?

Although they are wary of humans, sea eagles breed in close proximity to settlements and human activity in Norway, sometimes less than 500 m away. They also live near to dense human populations in Denmark and Germany.

There is no reason why they cannot co-exist with densely populated areas in Scotland. It also gives more people a chance to see this magnificent bird and learn about raptors and their conservation.

Where will they go once they are released?

Eagles are very nomadic in their early years but in the wild will be fed by their parents for a few weeks after they have left the nest we put out supplementary food for them. In 2007, some birds left the release area after two weeks and all birds had left by the end of October and have been finding their own food ever since.

They began to venture further afield as they found food elsewhere and become better at hunting. One bird reached Stonehaven in 3 weeks. The birds' dispersal is followed by radio-tracking and you can check the blog for updates on the birds' movements.

The birds tend to follow large rivers and the coast.It is quite possible that these birds will be seen anywhere in Scotland in their first two to three years. Birds released on Rum travelled as far as Shetland and Ireland in their first few years. However, the majority of sightings were within 100 km of the release site.

Sea eagles are strongly philopatric, meaning they will return to the area where they grew up (in this case the cages). They are likely to come back to east Scotland each spring, and this is also the area where they are most likely to return to nest once they are of breeding age.

What should I do if I see an eagle?

Enjoy it! But if you can, please also record as many details as possible, especially the date and location and what the bird was doing. Try to read the letter/number on one of the wing tags, but don't worry if you can't do this. Any sightings are extremely valuable and help us build up a picture of the birds' movements - weneed your help to keep an eye out for the birds and inform us of their sightings.

Submit any information to the project e-mail address: eastscotlandseaeagles@rspb.org.uk