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| Golden Eagle Soaring - pastel on paper 6/7/23 |
So, we have a new usurper male Golden Eagle, maybe 3 years old, that seemingly has ousted the resident satellite tagged eagle that I have been following for a few years now. I had concerns for the state of the sat tag eagle's back where the transmitter had buried itself uncomfortably into the protective covert feathers exposing the insulating down and had with all probability caused lesions and fungal infection; requests to trap the bird and remove the tag were ridiculed by 'experts', such is the contempt they have for post tagging or ringing aftercare.
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| Sketch today- rained off 6/7/23 |
Usurper eagles have been recorded killing the resident, older eagle; one old eagle in Aberdeenshire was found dead with injuries consistent of talon attack, and another was found in Angus with the conclusion that it had succumbed during a fight between rivals. In my opinion, a satellite tagged eagle is at a great disadvantage when challenged by a younger eagle that is not burdened by strapped on technical baggage, and with a growing eagle population in Scotland this must be an increasingly common occurrence when territories are at a premium.
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| Golden Eagle #1 male |
The best part of the day was spent wandering part of the heather moor high on the hills of Angus looking for any signs of a dead eagle. If the sat tag bird has been killed by the usurper then it would be interesting to have the carcass examined independently by a vet to check on the sat tag seating area, before handing it over to authorities ..... I actually doubt that reporting a dead raptor to police is a legal requirement because wind-farm operators are not required to report rotor blade kills as stated to me by Scottish Natural Heritage, now NatureScot, a few years ago.
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| Golden Eagle #1 sky dance display 6/7/23 |
There is so much agreement from the 'experts' about satellite tagging problems or wind-farm rotor kills or pylon electrocutions that these are not a concern or indeed do not happen, yet there is a 'head in the sand' keenness to 'media-burst' any tracked raptor that is untraceable as being evidence of persecution when near or on a private grouse moor.
Here in Angus, where grouse moor is the norm and raptor persecution proven, the known breeding population of Golden Eagles has doubled in the past fifteen years.
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| Golden Eagle #2 |
One may ask why there is an increase ..... is it a result of persecution exposure by the use of satellite tagging, or a result of the vicarious liability law placed on estate owners, or a change in attitude by game-keepers because of external influences, or are more historic territories being adopted by incoming eagle pairs, or the government threat of estate licensing ..... the answer is a pinch of each in my opinion.
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| Primary feather 6/7/23 |
In effect, we have the results of an increasing population of breeding eagles without banning grouse moor shooting, and without introducing a rewilding policy or licensing takeover by the government. Surely then we are in the midst of a solution for the future and a balance has been reached in some convoluted way by a haphazard mix of circumstance which ironically seems to mirror the 'soap opera' lives of our Angus eagles!
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| Lapwing juvenile 6/7/23 |
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| Ling 6/7/23 |
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| Northern Eggar caterpillar 6/7/23 |
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| Raven 6/7/23 |
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| Redshank 6/7/23 |
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| Wren 6/7/23 |
All text, photographs and sketch done on 6 July 2023 (unless dated otherwise) and subject to copyright - no reproduction.
If you are inspired to go out into the hills and glens of Scotland please leave it as you find it, respect the environment, do not litter or discard so called 'biodegradable' fruit and especially if you are a dog walker keep your beast on a lead and do not bag up its waste then chuck it by the wayside. I recently came across one black poo bag neatly hung on a tree branch for someone else to take home and also a bright blue one thrown in the moorland verge .... why?
Moorland birds like Lapwing, Curlew, Golden Plover, Dunlin, Dotterel, Snipe, Red and Black Grouse, Ptarmigan and many raptors nest on the ground, it is advisable to keep dogs on leads at all times especially when walking on the high plateaux of the Cairngorms during summer months.
Please be aware that it is illegal to disturb nesting eagles or other raptors and you may do so inadvertently in your journeys into the highlands. Observe protected species at a respectful distance usually from about 1000 metres and for short periods of time only.
No wildlife was unduly or knowingly disturbed by my presence or for the purposes of this web page other than what would be expected on a normal hill walk. Many geographic names and location recognizable photos have been omitted to prevent persecution or inquisitive disturbance to named species.
Canon camera 200D with optical zoom lens EFS 55-250mm used; please note that the zoom range ZR distance if given is calculated by OS map from subject location to camera.
