Satellite tagging move puts white-tailed sea eagles in frame
pioneering project enables bird lovers to watch chicks
Published:
MULL Eagle Watch and RSPB Scotland have unveiled a pioneering satellite tagging project to follow young white-tailed sea eagles once they leave the nest.
For the first time, bird lovers around the world can access interactive online updates on this year’s chicks from the Loch Frisa nest.
The Loch Frisa sea eagle project on Mull is a partnership between Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, RSPB Scotland, Mull & Iona Community Trust and Strathclyde Police. Additional funding for the tagging project will come from Highland Ecology Foundation and Natural Research.
The nest produced two chicks this year – a male called Mara (“sea” in Gaelic) and a female Breagha, meaning “beautiful”. They fledged in mid-July and are flying strongly, but visitors to the Loch Frisa hide can still see them until the end of August. RSPB Mull officer Dave Sexton, who will be writing an online blog for the project, said: “As technology moves on we're able to learn a lot more about stunning birds like the white tailed eagle and make them more accessible.
“Although they're our biggest bird of prey, and truly massive, it's amazing how elusive they can become as they wander over Scotland. So this research project will help us get an idea of how their recovery is faring.”
The tags were obtained by Roy Dennis, whose Highland Foundation for Wildlife already has expertise in satellite tracking of raptors in Scotland.
He said: “This is the first time we’ve fitted these tags to sea eagles in the UK. It’s exciting to help the Mull project to follow their young sea eagles because we've learned so much following Alma, a young golden eagle in the Cairngorms.
“The incredible detail of her daily life has fascinated people and given us new insights. Hopefully similar information from Mara and Breagha will show their journeys in great detail.”
The project will be followed by the BBC's Natural History Unit and feature in the forthcoming Autumnwatch series. The new website is at www.rspb.org.uk/mulleagletracking
A second generation of ospreys are about to open up a new understanding of their species. Two chicks getting ready to fly their nest near Forres have been fitted with GPS transmitters, which will allow scientists to track their journey to their wintering grounds in west Africa.
