Once-extinct white-tailed eagles reintroduced in Kerry

Peter Jones gets a quick peek at of one of the 23 White-tailed eagle chicks that arrived in Kerry Airport today. Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan

White-tailed eagle chicks have arrived in Kerry today as part of a landmark collaboration to restore the native and once-extinct bird to Ireland.

As part of a long-term reintroduction project, 23 eagle chicks were collected from nests in west-central Norway and transported by plane to Kerry Airport.

They will be held for six-to-eight weeks at purpose-built flight cages at four sites in Munster as they are monitored and cared for by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

Following this, the chicks will be released into the wild in early-mid August at four sites across the province including Killarney National Park, along the River Shannon, the lower Shannon estuary, and a site in Waterford.

The technically complex project is the latest phase of a reintroduction programme that began in 2007. It will see the 23 eagle chicks join the small Irish breeding population that has become established since the programme began.

Eamonn Meskall, Regional Manager National Parks and Wildlife Service, showing Peter Jones, and Geraldine Culloty, Department of Agriculture, of one of the white-tailed eagle chicks. Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan

Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan paid tribute to the groups both in Ireland and in Norway whose collective commitment has ensured the continued success of the programme.

Mr Noonan said the programme has made a real impact for the species which was driven to extinction in the 19th century as a result of human actions.

The top predators play a key role in the functioning ecosystems and 2021 has already seen three Irish-born chicks fledge from a single nest on Lough Derg.

In 2020 and 2021, 10 white-tailed eagle pairs held territory in Ireland across four counties and at least nine pairs laid eggs.

"I was privileged to release six of these stunning creatures last year in Kerry and I can honestly say that watching them soar through the skies on their first Irish flight is a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life," said Mr Noonan.

"I’d like everyone in Ireland to have the opportunity to observe this once-extinct species in its natural habitat."

Live-streaming webcam set up by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to monitor a pair of white-tailed sea eagles and chicks in Glengarriff County Cork.

The re-establishment of the white-tailed eagles at sites in Glengarriff in Cork and in Killarney in Kerry have proven hugely popular with local residents.

During the pandemic, live streaming of the nest in Glengarriff was a great virtual nature attraction and was counted among the BBC's list of top 20 virtual nature attractions in the world.

While the programme has been largely successful so far, it has not been without its problems. The small population currently in Ireland is vulnerable to things such as illegal poisoning, avian flu and adverse weather.