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Golden Eagles Return to Ireland

For the first time since 1912, a breeding pair of golden eagles has nested and laid an egg in Ireland. Though it is past the hatching date, the female remains on the egg. Researchers hope to retrieve the egg to determine what went wrong.

Golden eagles do not mature sexually until they are about four or five years old, so researchers for the Golden Eagle Reintroduction Project did not expect to have an egg so soon.

“This is a major step forward for the project. As often happens with inexperienced and young breeders, the egg failed to hatch. This is the first year we have had birds just reaching maturity so we are very pleased they managed to pair up,” project director Lorcan O’Toole said. “We are looking forward to the day when a Donegal-bred eagle takes to the sky.”

O’Toole is heading the Golden Eagle Reintroduction Project in Ireland that will reestablish a breeding population on the European Island. After just four years, there are now 35 young golden eagles in Glenveagh National Park in the Derryveagh Mountains in Northwest Donegal County, Ireland.

Planning for the project began in 1989. The Irish Government took the first step by partly funding environmental improvements as part of the National Millennium Celebration and to celebrate its Natural Heritage. The chosen refuge for the eagles soon showed promise with an abundance of the eagles’ favorite foods, the protection of government wildlife sites, and a thriving raven population, which indicates the likelihood of golden eagle survival.

The project group met the 53 reintroduction guidelines set by the International Union of Nature and obtained a license to import golden eagle chicks from Scotland. Scotland has a stable golden eagle population of 420 breeding pairs and has successfully reintroduced the red kite.

In June 2001, the team moved 12 chicks from nests in Scotland to specially designed cages in Ireland. The six-week-old chicks were provided with artificial nests and perches.

Each of the new chicks is provided with meat for several months, just as in the wild. No human contact ever takes place. Each bird is outfitted with a wing tag for identification and a small radio transmitter, so they can be tracked before they are released. During the first year, each eagle is tracked almost daily. Survival rates increase after the first hard winter, just like in the wild; so as they age, the birds are monitored less often.

Survival rates were much lower for the eagles 100 years ago. Victorian gamers and angry farmers began threatening the golden eagles in the 1800s. Raptors were shot and trapped as sport in the Victorian era. Farmers were also killing the eagles for fear of losing their small livestock. The huge influx of humans into rural areas before the famine caused a loss of habitat. By 1900 there were only 14 recorded golden eagle pairs left in Ireland.

Now, project team members are trying to raise awareness and respect for the indigenous birds so that they are not threatened again. Their aim is to inform farmers, tourists, and the general public about the birds’ place in nature and in the Irish heritage.

“Community involvement and raising bird of prey awareness will be central to the project’s success,” O’Toole commented. “We believe the reintroduction of golden eagles will not only restore a magnificent species but will also help promote the conservation of all large Irish raptors and our uplands in general.”