Some good eagle news for a change!

It’s refreshing to be able to report some ‘good’ eagle news for once. And not just one story – we’ve got two!

First up – the legal eagles. Solicitors Innes & Mackay of Inverness have sponsored two satellite-tagged golden eagles, raised on the Strathspey Estate in the Cairngorm National Park. The eagles, named Innes & Mackay (what else?!) have been tagged by Roy Dennis and their movements will appear shortly on his excellent RaptorTrack website (here). The solicitors also hope to involve a local school in monitoring the eagles’ progress. Their press release here. Well done to all involved, especially Strathspey Estate, whose continued efforts to support golden eagles in what is otherwise known as a persecution hotspot is unusual and very welcome.

The second piece of good news is that funds raised through the Mull Eagle Hide have been given to provide support for the Mull and Morven Agricultural Show. A grant of £250 from the Sea Eagle Partnership has contributed towards new cattle pens and hurdles for highland cattle. Press release here. Let’s hope this funding will help persuade those doubters from within the farming community that the reintroduced sea eagles, and the tourism they generate, can be of benefit. Although judging by this article (here) from 2009, some people may need more persuasion than others. The article includes a quote from a crofter who was claiming that “sea eagles took half my lambs” and he described hearing a pair of sea eagles “scraping their talons on the rock“. Presumably they were re-sharpening their claws after piercing the skin of the hundred babies they stole from prams earlier that morning. Well done to the Mull Eagle Hide team for all their efforts in the face of some astounding ignorance.