Released eagles span countryside

WHITE-TAILED sea eagles are winging it to all corners of the country.

The birds, released in Killarney National Park as part of a reintroduction programme, have travelled upwards of 400km from their Kerry base.

All the birds have tracking devices attached.

Further sightings have been reported in the Ox Mountains in Co Sligo, the Aran Islands and in Lough Ree, Co Offaly.

Previously, eagles had been seen in Limavady, Co Derry and Lough Neagh, Co Down.

The birds are believed to be still in those areas.

However, Killarney eagle reintroduction project director Dr Allan Mee, is not surprised the birds have flown so far.

“Experiences in Norway and Scotland show the eagles tend to fly long distances in the first winter and tend to return the following spring,” he said.

Eight of the 11 surviving eagles set free in Killarney National Park, last August, have now left the area.

The three “home birds” have remained around Killarney Lakes and are regularly spotted by boatmen and visitors.

A further 20 eagles recently arrived in Killarney, marking the second phase of a five-year project to reintroduce the birds to this country.

They will be released in stages next month and it is planned to bring upwards of 80 eaglets from Norway during the five years.

Four of the first 15 birds released in the park have since died from illegal poisoning, but Dr Mee is still optimistic the programme will be successful.

He welcomed “a lot of positive feedback” from people in Kerry who were expressing their support, especially the farming community in the Black Valley and other parts of south and west Kerry where the birds had spent time.

Although released in Killarney National Park, the initial expectation was that the birds would eventually make their way to the coasts of Kerry and west Cork where they would settle in bays and peninsulas.