White-tailed eagle hatched in Mountshannon

WHITE-tailed sea eagles nesting on Bushy Island in Lough Derg have hatched a chick, the first hatched in the wild in Ireland in more than 100 years.

 

Interestingly, there was double joy for The Golden Eagle Trust, who have led the reintroduction programme which began with the release of young Norwegian eagles in Kerry six years ago, as another chick hatched in a nest at Killarney National Park.

The sea eagles in Mountshannon were the first of their breed to pair and nest in Ireland in over a century in 2012 but went through an unsuccessful breeding period.

White-tailed eagles can live for 25 to 30 years and generally mate for life, with adult pairs remaining within their home range throughout the year. First-time breeders, especially young birds, often fail at their first attempt and this is believed to be what happened in Mountshannon last year.

Speaking about what people can expect over the coming months, Dr Allan Mee, project manager of The Golden Eagle Trust, said the eaglets will be cared for in the nest for up to three months.

They should be taking flight at the end of July or early August but after they fly the coop, Dr Mee said it is typical that the chicks would stay in and around the Mountshannon area for up to a year. It will be another three to four years after that before they will be looking for a mate.

He added that at least one parent will remain in the nest with the chick at all times over the initial months and the other will be visible foraging in the area. He said the parents are mainly gathering fish for the young but have also been seen taking ducks.

The Mountshannon breeding male is five-years-old and the female is four. They originated from the island of Frøya, off Norway but found each other independently after they were released separately and in different years from Killarney National Park.

Several pairs have now established themselves in counties Clare, Galway, Kerry and Cork at coastal and inland lake sites.

The news of nesting white-tailed eagles has generated much excitement in East Clare and is likely to attract the attention of people keen to see the birds. However, disturbance, particularly during the early stages of nesting when the birds are on eggs or have small chicks, would be detrimental to the pair’s success Dr Mee advised.

“We are very conscious of the risk of disturbing the birds, especially at this stage of nesting. I would stress that it is an offence under The Wildlife Act to willfully disturb white-tailed eagles at the nest.

“We would caution people not to approach the nest area but instead avail of the unique opportunity to watch from Mountshannon pier. Information on the birds, their ecology and conservation will be available,” Dr Mee said.

He concluded by acknowledging the goodwill and assistance of locals in Mountshannon, including Mountshannon Community Council, local angling and gun clubs and Clare County Council, both before and during the nesting period.

A telescope is now in place in Mountshannon so people can watch the eagles, who are approximately 1km off shore. Dr Mee is advising those who are interested in seeing the birds to avail of this opportunity or use binoculars.

He added that Mountshannon is likely to benefit from an increase in tourism as a result of this success story and his team will be based there for much of the summer months. The trust has also engaged with a number of local volunteers to help in their efforts.

The tourism potential has also been realised by East Clare Tourism and its chairperson, Councillor Pat Hayes, said the new arrivals are “great news for the people of East Clare and we hope they will be a valuable asset for tourism in the area”.

He commended the locals and The Golden Eagle Trust for helping make this possible and asked the community to maintain its co-operation with the reintroduction project to protect these “wonderful assets”.