18:43
After being wiped
out in Britain in 1916, white-tailed sea eagles have made an amazing
recovery - with a little help from some humans.
The last British sea eagle was shot in 1916 and the species disappeared from the wild for over 50 years.
It
wasn't until 1975 that the first formal reintroduction was carried out,
with a total of 140 birds returned to the wild over the course of 20
years.
After being wiped out in Britain in 1916,
white-tailed sea eagles have made an amazing recovery - with 86 birds
having been released through a new project.
THE SEA EAGLE
The fourth largest bird of prey in the world, they are scavengers and
generalists, feeding on fish, small mammals and animal carcasses.
An adult female is significantly larger than the male and has a wingspan of around 2.5m.
An adult female is significantly larger than the male and has a wingspan of around 2.5m.
These birds have gone on to establish a population of over 80 breeding pairs on the west coast of Scotland.
A
project started in 2007 aims to replicate this success in west Scotland
- where white-tailed eagles haven't bred for 200 years.
This saw eaglets collected from nests in Norway before being flown to Scotland and released into the wild as juveniles.
To date 86 birds have been released and will all be carefully monitored through radio-tracking and public sightings.
Wildlife
photographer Peter Cairns recorded the reintroduction of some of the
sea eagles while taking part in the 2020Vision project.
This initiative saw 20 photographers
spend 20 months in the field documenting 20 key habitats in Britain to
show just how vital they are.
The last British sea eagle was shot in 1916 and
the species disappeared from the wild for over 50 years. Now experts say
they are thriving.
The eaglets were brought by plane from Norway before being released in Scotland
The sea eagle, or white-tailed eagle, is Europe's biggest bird of prey and is the fourth largest eagle in the world.
An adult female is significantly larger than the male and has a wingspan of around 2.5m.
Rhian
Evans, the RSPB's Sea Eagle Project Officer, said: 'We owe a great deal
to the volunteers, farmers, landowners, partners and members of the
public who have helped us reach this important stage of the
reintroduction.'
The
project's backers, who also include Scottish Natural Heritage, and
Forestry Commission Scotland, are hoping number will grow as more and
more of the released birds reach sexual maturity.
'As
well as fulfilling a role in our ecosystems, the birds are an important
feature for our growing nature-based tourism industry.'
Throughout
the 19th Century the species was poisoned and shot by gamekeepers
because they were considered to be a threat to livestock and gamebirds.
A Sea Eagle in the wild in Scotland, where researchers are releasing 80 more birds into the existing population.
The birds have large claws used to hunt, and adults can have a wingspan of 2.5m
The eaglets were given a full examination and fitted with tracking tags before being released
It wasn't until 1975 that the first formal
reintroduction was carried out, with a total of 140 birds returned to
the wild over the course of 20 years.
The birds have even prompted a boom in tourism with tours being organised to see them hunt
Read more:Mailonline
