Sea Eagles

I was heartened to read of the latest release of young sea eagles yesterday.  As part of an ongoing reintroduction programme 16 young eagles were released at a secret location in Fife, Scotland.

The original UK population was finally wiped out in 1912 and these birds had been absent from our skies until 1959, when the first reintroduction was made.  Later a more concerted effort was made on the island of Rum in 1975.  Initial local resistance mellowed into acceptance and now these magnificent birds are a matter of local pride.  I suspect that the significant ecotourism revenue they help to generate has something to do with this.

There are now over fifty breeding pairs in Scotland and the sea eagles’ future is looking brighter than it has for a century.  Hopefully, one day they will be fully accepted as part of our ornithological landscape, rendering the need for secret locations and covert releases unnecessary.