Suspected poisoning of white-tailed eagle prompts call for public vigilance
One of the resident adult white-tailed eagle pair on the search for food on Lough Lein in Killarney National Park. File picture: Valerie O'Sullivan
One of Ireland’s oldest breeding white-tailed eagles, Caimin (Y), was recently found dead from suspected poisoning in Clare.
He was one of the first chicks to be released from Killarney National Park in 2008, as part of a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) re-introduction programme to bring back this formerly extinct species to Irish skies.
Caimin held territory at the Mountshannon nest site on Lough Derg for the past 17 years, during which he mated and fledged a number of chicks.
All of the white-tailed eagle chicks re-introduced under the programme are fitted with satellite tags, which enable them to be monitored and tracked.
In 2013, Camin mated with Saoirse, a female eagle who was also part of the re-introduction programme. They became the first white-tailed eagles to successfully raise and fledge chicks in the wild in Ireland in over 100 years.
Some 10,000 people visited Mountshannon to see the eagles and their chicks that year. Saoirse sadly died of avian influenza three years later.
Caimin later mated with Bernardine (B) in 2023 to successfully fledge more chicks to the wild. Despite the recent loss of her mate, Bernardine is continuing to raise a chick on the nest site in Mountshannon.
Minister of state for nature, heritage and biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, has called for public co-operation in the investigation of the possible poisoning of Caimin. He said any loss in the wild not due to natural causes is usually the result of human activity.
The tragic loss of a wonderfully aged bird, breeding happily in the Irish wild, is deeply regrettable. He said the re-introduction programme had been making significant progress in restoring this lost flagship species to Irish skies.
He said:
“We will continue with our efforts to introduce, nurture and protect these birds, and I have tasked the NPWS with leaving no stone unturned to try to get to the bottom of this heinous potential crime,” he said.
Eamonn Meskell, Divisional Manager, NPWS, said the knowing destruction of this wonderful bird of prey displays a wanton disregard for the re-introduction and nature protection efforts. These noble birds are beloved of the public and each loss is keenly felt by them and indeed by the NPWS staff.
“They have nurtured these birds from chicks to fledglings, onto adult life and into successfully breeding pairs,” he said. Mr Meskill said the main threat to the species in Ireland is persecution, predominantly through shooting, the illegal use of poison and wind turbine strikes.
The misuse/illegal use of poisons accounts for nearly 50% of eagle deaths where the cause of mortality was able to be determined. Avian influenza and adverse weather also negatively impacted the breeding population, he said.
He urged any member of the public with information that would help the investigation into Caimin’s death to notify the Gardai or the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
White-tailed eagles were formerly bred across Ireland but are now rare and listed as species of Conservation Concern. The wings have fingered tips and, as their name suggests, they have a short white tail which has a distinctive wedge shape.
The head and neck are pale, almost white in mature birds, although juveniles are dark brown, and do not attain full adult plumage until four to five years of age. They have a hooked yellow beak, piercing golden eyes, and their legs and talons are yellow.
White-tailed eagles largely eat fish, but also take various birds, rabbits and hares. Carrion is an important part of their diet, especially during the winter months.
They lay one to three eggs in late March to early April, which are then incubated for 38-40 days by both parents. For the first two to three weeks after hatching the female mainly broods the chicks and the male does much of the hunting. The female will also take turns to hunt.
Chicks fledge after 10-12 weeks and remain reliant on their parents for a further five to six weeks.
The Irish White-tailed Eagle Re-introduction Programme is a long-term initiative to re-establish a population of this extinct species in Ireland being carried out by the NPWS.
Under the programme, 200 white-tailed eagles have been brought to Ireland from Norway and released over two phases of the project.
