Eagle has landed: Wicklow man reunited with missing bird

Mr Nugent said that being reunited with his bird was an emotional moment.

A Wicklow man has been reunited with his missing golden eagle after the bird went missing last week.

When 12-year-old Kalin went missing it prompted owner John Nugent to appeal for help in finding the bird.

Mr Nugget said that the bird was found in a tree around 1km from when he took off.

Mr Nugent said that being reunited with his bird was an emotional moment.

“He [Kalin] jumped up on my hand and he gripped me like never before," he said.

“I can’t say the tears rolled down my face but I was really emotional about the whole thing.

“[Kalin] wouldn’t let go of my hand when he got up my hand until he came back to his space.

“And then he went straight up to his perch, looking around, thinking he was home.” 

Mr Nugent said that the people who helped find the bird were unbelievable.

“They were looking in ditches and trees and everywhere.” 

Mr Nugent added that he knows from the sightings of Kalin that he “has been around” having been spotted in Avoca, Arklow, Brittas Bay, Wicklow.

He told Newstalk that he walked the same route as when the bird had gone missing as it was what professional falconers had told him to do.

"And I walked the route every day, and just before I went home - before dark - yesterday I walked the same route again and there he was sitting on a tree".

Mr Nugent has been training Kalin since last November to rehabilitate him so that he could eventually fly free.