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CHARITY BLOG
RSPB HAILS RETURN OF THE WHITE-TAILED EAGLE
Zero to 46 pairs in 30 years – the sea eagles are back in Scotland
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is celebrating a revival in the fortunes of the majestic white-tailed eagle, which is thriving once again on the Isle of Mull where ten chicks fledged from seven nests in 2009.
There are now 20 of the eagles – sometimes called “flying barn doors” because of their size – on the Scottish island, attracting numerous tourists and generating £2 million a year for the local economy.
According to the RSPB, there were 200 breeding pairs in the UK in the 1700s, before the species suffered local extinction due to persecution.
White-tailed Eagles, also known as sea eagles, were first reintroduced to the nearby Isle of Rum in the late 1970s, before making their way over to the Isle of Mull in 1983.
Two years later, the colony experienced its first successful fledglings.
A previous attempt to reintroduce the birds into Scotland in 1968 was unsuccessful, but the species have been successfully reproducing since a second attempt in 1975, and the birds have since been reintroduced to eastern Scotland as well.
Across Scotland, a total of 46 pairs of white tailed eagles managed to successfully rear 36 chicks this past year.
But the idea of reintroducing the bird to East Anglia has been met with some resistance due to their predatory nature.
A typical diet for the white tailed eagle consists of fish, sea birds, ducks and carrion, but farmers say the birds also target lambs.
The Mull Eagle Watch project attracts 6,000 wildlife lovers a year to its ‘eagle nest’ on Forestry Commission Scotland Land at Loch Frisa on the island.
Half of the money raised by the project is donated back to programs like youth groups in the local community.
“It’s wonderful that through the eagle fund, the eagles are also giving back to local good causes. It’s an example that could be followed across Scotland and the UK,” says Dave Sexton, RSPB Scotland’s Mull Officer.
The program is run by the Forestry Commission Scotland, RSPB Scotland, Mull & Iona Community Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage and Strathclyde Police, and is in its tenth year.
Recently, Roseanna Cunningham, the Scottish Environment Minister, visited the Isle of Mull to donate £10,000 to the eagle fund and recognise the project for its continued wildlife conservation and promotion of “green tourism.”
By Taylor Turner
