Hi I stay In Eaglesham East Renfrewhire in a conservation & Green belt area. i have just moved here a couple of weeks ago and have just been told a new developement has been proposed in the feild directly behind my house, I 99% sure i have seen a pair of Golden Eagles in the woods at the edge of the proposed site.. Having stayed in the area all my life and walked the surrounding area as well since nappies i have never seen a siteing of a Golden Eagle. Obviously i have to be 100% that it is, does this affect the proposed development? would be great if someone could set me right on this subject. thanks
Hi Docman
I live in the South of England so probably not well qualified to comment on this. Hopefully one of our Scottish members will see this and give an opinion.
My understanding is that Golden Eagles are pretty much confined to the mountainous areas of the Highlands and Islands so seeing a pair in woods in the lowlands of the central belt would be highly unusual I would have thought.
What led you to think they were Golden Eagles? Although much smaller, Buzzards are a much more likely bird to see in this sort of habitat. Size can often be difficult to judge.
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
I'm with TJ on this one, sounds like the wrong place to be seeing goldies and buzzards are far more likely. Regardless unless they were nesting there it would be unlikely to change anything as they have a huge territory.
Millie & Fly the Border Collies
thanks TJ
Yeh because of the distance i'm not sure, i know my birds just seen again trying to see it wing flight pattern , because of the weather its just soaring. Seeing it again mind you i'm starting to lean towards a buzzard.
Thanks for uour help, hopefully i'll get a closer look
thanks again .
JD
Hi John
Here's a Buzzard pic seen above my house which may help with the ID.
Yeh i agree with you both in terms of habitat, the thing that was making me lean towards the goldie was from experience working in Elgin, we had a family of golden eagles right beside us. just sound the same and look the same from the distance i,m seeing them from. hey stranger thing are have happened, we have peregrines beside us and in the city of Glasgow thats why i'm thinking the possibility. But as i said in the last reply i am leaning towards the buzzards. thanks for the pics, trying to find my binoculars as i've just moved typical.
thanks Guys
Hopefully get to the bottom of it soon . cheers
I would very much doubt the Golden Eagle in that area as said above most likely Common Buzzard.A sighting of a family of Goldies in the Moray area must have been a great sighting for you but I do not think you will see them in your new area,they do require a different area to Peregrines.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
I'm with all the others on this one. I have lots of experience with Eagles and the area involved really isn't the right habitat. They love rugged upland and mountains where they can nest on crags and cliffs.
Buzzards are quite often reported as Golden Eagles so your potential mistake is a common one. On Mull they call Buzzards "tourists Eagles" however once you've seen a true Golden Eagle you'll see the difference is quite remarkable.
Hi John! I'm just down the road from you, it's a small world :)) I'm on the edge of Clarkston and Waterfoot! There are buzzards around these parts. I think most folks don't notice them. You can see some sitting atop the lamp posts on the dual carriageway to EK! It's such a pity there's nowhere to stop to get some pictures!
I did see a Red Kite over Carmunnock open fields a couple of years ago and I nearly crashed my car!
As to the proposed building, the area around Clarkston is so congested and over-populated already and they want to add more! Soon there will be no fields between Clarkston, Waterfoot and Eaglesham! It's a worry to be honest! :(