Sea eagles fly the nest

SIX years after they were reintroduced to Ireland and more than 110 years since they bred in the wild, the first White-Tailed Sea Eagle chicks have fledged.

The two eaglets, who have been residents of Bushy Island, Mountshannon since they hatched in late April, made history once again as they successfully flew from the nest this week.

As they have not returned to the nest, eagle spotters are eagerly hoping to spot the chicks in flight around the Lough Derg area and, as the birds are not tagged, those who do get a glimpse are encouraged to notify the Golden Eagle Trust.

Members of the Mountshannon Eagle Group, who have been monitoring the chicks, saw one flying on Monday evening and the other on Tuesday.
“This is terrific news for the community and everybody involved with the project.

“Now that the eagles have reached this important milestone we hope that they will progress to full independence.

“Hopefully, many people will join with us in this fantastic opportunity to observe the eagles master their newly developed flying skills and then learn to fish over the coming months,” Denis Minogue of The Mountshannon Eagles Group said.

It is possible to observe the eagles from Mountshannon Pier, where volunteers and members of The Golden Eagle Trust have telescopes available to assist visitors.

The group is again reminding the public to respect the 250m exclusion zone around Bushy Island and not to approach the birds.
“This is a very vulnerable time for the eaglets and we want to do everything we can to encourage the eagles to return for many years to come,” Mitch O’Rourke of the Mountshannon Eagle Group said.

The parent eagles were collected as chicks on the island of Frøya off the west coast of Norway and then released in Killarney National Park.

The pair nested on Bushy Island in 2012 but failed to hatch chicks that year.

The adults continue to remain around the Mountshannon area and are large birds with wingspans of up to two and a half metres. The juveniles, although smaller, are still impressive and currently have a wingspan of six feet.