Artificial eyries built for golden eagles
"Golden eagles are a vital part of Scotland’s wildlife" – Francesca Osowska.
Two artificial eyries have been built as part of a project to boost the golden eagle population in the south of Scotland.
The eyries, located on the Duke of Northumberland’s Burncastle Estate, near the Lammermuir Hills, are designed to provide suitable nesting sites for golden eagles which were translocated to the area as part of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.
Although the species has never become extinct in the south of Scotland, until recently there was only a tiny number left in the wild. Owing to the work carried out so far by the project, which has successfully introduced 25 birds into the region since 2018, the local population of golden eagles currently stands at 38 – the highest amount recorded for three centuries.
It is hoped the new eyries will encourage some of the translocated birds to mate as they reach breeding age. The golden eagle likes to return to previous nesting sites and some eyries can be used by generation after generation.
Project manager Dr Cat Barlow said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Northumberland Estates for being the first to create these very welcoming, carefully constructed eyries.
“Golden eagles typically begin to breed at around three to four years of age, so this is a particularly crucial time for the birds we first released in 2018 to have plenty of places to settle. Before the Project’s translocations began, we spent 11 years working with project partners and raptor experts to identify a significant number of areas where they could do this. After so many years it is fantastic to witness the eagles now doing just that and exploring long-empty historical ranges.”
NatureScot’s chief executive Francesca Osowska added: “We’re committed to protecting and restoring nature across Scotland, so we’re delighted that estates like Burncastle are working with the groundbreaking South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project. Golden eagles are a vital part of Scotland’s wildlife, and it’s brilliant to see so many people and organisations working together to bring them back to the areas where they used to thrive.”
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