Borders estate champions eyrie first for groundbreaking South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project
You're chance of seeing a Golden Eagle in the wild is going up.
The team behind a new breeding programme in the south of Scotland have built two new artificial nesting sites on the Duke of Northumberland’s Burncastle Estate, near the Lammermuir Hills.
It's hoped the eyries will play a vital role in helping the birds of prey re-establish even more territories in which they once thrived.
The latest development follows a series of groundbreaking translocations by the award-winning project which, thanks to support from more than 17 privately-owned estates, have increased the local population of golden eagles from six to 38 - the highest number recorded for three centuries.
Speaking about their work with Burncastle Estate, 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."
The project’s first two artificial eyries have been carefully placed by expert climbers in difficult to reach locations, high in the trees within the Burncastle Estate. The team has deliberately selected secluded areas close to where three of the project’s 18-month-old satellite-tagged golden eagles (two females and one male) have been spotted (in Burncastle and Western Lammermuirs).
As eagle eyries need to blend into the natural surroundings, the eyries have been built with natural materials, using techniques that have been tried and tested by expert raptor workers elsewhere in Scotland.
The Duke of Northumberland added: “We’ve been thrilled that the work of the Project has led to golden eagles re-establishing a presence in the south of Scotland and it has been exciting to see these magnificent birds occupy a range close to Burncastle. The estate was very keen to play a part in helping the birds, and the opportunity to build the eyries on Burncastle will hopefully raise the prospects of new chicks being born in the future."
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The development is viewed as another significant milestone for the project and partners South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project partners include the Southern Uplands Partnership, RSPB Scotland, Scottish Land & Estates, Scottish Forestry and NatureScot.
Francesca Osowska, NatureScot’s Chief Executive, 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.”
Are you involved in a project in the Borders, or North Northumberland, you'd like to share on the radio? Email our reporter: ally.mcgilvray@bauermedia.co.uk