LOCHABER GOLDEN EAGLES TAKE TO SOUTHERN SKIES
Photograph courtesy of South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project
Iain Ferguson Golden eagles from Lochaber are heading south to help repopulate areas where they are either in serious decline or have vanished completely. Native to Scotland, historic persecution and changes to land use have put these reclusive and vulnerable birds at risk of disappearing from their remote homelands. Depending on conditions such as availability of food and nesting areas, these birds generally lay only one egg but in Lochaber where the habitat is generally more favourable a clutch of two is, if not common, more prevalent than in other areas. Thanks to Jahama Highland Estates, working in conjunction with The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, when ‘twins’ occur one of the young birds can be relocated to an area in which the population is in a much weaker position, helping to strengthen and over the years re-establish the species. A licence from NatureScot allows the project to translocate up to 10 young eagles each year, across a five-year period. The first four birds that the team successfully
moved to the area are now thriving in southern skies and across the Borders area with occasional forays into northern England. Two of these birds have come from locations across Jahama Highland Estate. When twins are present and are between six and eight weeks old, they are carefully collected and translocated to southern Scotland. This can go ahead once they are fully feathered, capable of keeping themselves warm and have the strength to grip and tear their own food. Each young eagle is given regular health checks and has a metal identification ring attached to its lower leg. The birds are carefully and sensitively transported to an aviary location in the Moffat Hills prior to being released into the wild six weeks later. The fabulous birds are also fitted with a satellite tracker to allow further study and to ensure their health and well-being is being fully supported. So the next time you are out and about in Lochaber and see the majestic, soaring golden eagles be proud that birds from this part of the world are playing a key role in improving the bio-diversity of other parts of Scotland and the UK to ensure the survival of this iconic species.
LOCHABER LIFE
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