Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 13 on 25/3/2004.

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The eagle has landed

Sea Eagles are among the United Kingdom's most impressive wildlife, says Graham Holliday

Britain’s largest bird of prey, the white-tailed eagle or sea eagle, is a magnificent, if rare, sight in the wilder reaches of the western Scotland.

This massive bird, the world’s fourth largest eagle, with a wingspan stretching eight feet across, became extinct in Britain in 1918.

Laws were changed during the 1950s which helped pave the way for two early attempts at reintroduction in Scotland.

A full-scale reintroduction programme got underway on the Island of Rum off the west coast of Scotland in 1975 with 82 birds taken from Norway.

The birds were released over a 10-year period and the first breeding success was recorded in 1985. Afurther 58 young Norwegian eagles were released onto the Scottish mainland and the first of these began to breed in 1998.

In 2004, the population is thought to consist of 80-90 individuals residing in 26 different territories.

With the programme complete, Scottish sea eagles are now reliant upon Scottish-bred young to continue the population.

But sea eagles are still persecuted in Scotland.

David Sexton, a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) officer based on the Island of Mull explains: “An adult was poisoned in the
Highlands in 2003. Its mate died the same way in 2002, so there are still problems for them.

“Egg collecting is still a threat but local community watches and the police operation against nest robbers – Operation Easter – successfully
kept it at bay in 2003.”

In total five birds have been killed since the reintr.....

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By Graham Holiday

Section : Scottish Wildlife

Page number : 22