Scottish Raptor Groups - White-tailed Eagle

The steady decline of the white tailed sea eagle population in the British Isles resulted in its final extinction in 1918. Following two failed earlier attempts the species was re-introduced into Scotland using Norwegian donor stock from 1975 to 1985. On release these captive reared birds roamed widely before settling on the west coast of Scotland and starting to breed from the early 1980s. The first eggs were laid on Mull in 1983, but failed to hatch. Two years later however, the first wild Scottish sea eagle chick for more than seventy years fledged. Since then, the population has slowly expanded, bolstered by another re-introduction phase between 1993 and 1998. Along the way territories have been occupied and then abandoned, breeding trios have occasionally been formed, clutches of eggs have been stolen by collectors and sadly some birds have been illegally poisoned or shot. Nevertheless, due to the monitoring, protection and careful management by an army of workers, both professional and voluntary, in the office and in the field, the population has gradually gained an increasingly firm foothold. Management has included continuous protection of nest sites throughout incubation, supplementary feeding, and even the placement of orphaned young into foster nests as opposed to captive rearing to maximise opportunity of survival in the wild.

So from 1985 onwards sea eagles have bred successfully in the wild in Scotland, although after the first ten years the population appeared to have reached a plateau of only a dozen territories, with very marked differences between the least and the most productive. However, a milestone was passed in 1995 when the first territory was occupied by a Scottish bred bird. Then from 1998 birds from the second re-introduction phase also started to enter the breeding population and from then on the population has shown a healthier increase. In 2000 another significant milestone was reached when the 100th wild chick fledged in the re-established population.

Throughout this period data have been collected in order to study movements of birds and longevity. This has involved a careful programme of marking young birds, originally with colour rings but subsequently using coloured wing tags which have been easier for members of the public to notice, identify and report. In addition to this, ongoing dietary studies are showing the wide range of species hunted, scavenged and pirated by Scottish sea eagles in their primarily coastal habitat.

While at the moment the Scottish west coast is the best place to see sea eagles in their natural environment in the British Isles - with Skye and Mull being particularly recommended - nomadic immatures are recorded at regular intervals all over the country.

Justin Grant