...well maybe not one that’s being mobbed by a load of other birds, as was witnessed a few weeks ago when a White Tailed Eagle (AKA Sea Eagle) flew over Loch Gruinart! Thanks to two eagle-eyed (!!) visitors from the Netherlands, the incident was captured on camera from the road leading up to the visitors’ centre – I of course missed it by 5 minutes when I arrived back on reserve after taking the Land Rover for its MOT! Sometimes life just gets in the way of nature-watching....
That's some feisty Shelduck and Hooded Crows!
What a magnificent bird this is. With a wingspan of 2.5 metres, no wonder it’s described as a flying barn door. After being hunted and poisoned to extinction by 1918, the Sea Eagle was re-introduced to the West Coast of Scotland from Norway in the mid-70s and have gone from strength to strength, perhaps most famously (and more regularly seen!) on Mull. More recently, similar reintroduction programmes have been carried out on the East Coast of Scotland and in Ireland, both being areas where Sea Eagles lived in the past. In March this year however, one of the only 2 Irish-bred Sea Eagles to hatch and fledge in Ireland in over 100 years was shot and killed. And in April this year, the first Sea Eagle to be raised in the east of Scotland in almost 200 years disappeared. These and other incidents involving raptors show why the RSPB and other organisations are still working hard to protect these birds from illegal persecution, and will continue to do so into the future with your support.
So, many thanks Frits and Mieke for emailing the photos of this beautiful bird, and hope to see you on a return visit, and hope to see the Sea Eagle on a return visit too!