Eagles need their space

I spent the weekend before last based in the picturesque Co Tipperary village of Garrykennedy on a family pike-fishing trip. The weather was glorious and the fishing was excellent but I had less luck with the birdwatching, writes Dick Warner

As the boat left the harbour and headed out on Lough Derg our guide said: “keep your eyes open for the eagles, We got great views of them yesterday.” I did keep my eyes open but all I saw were swans, ducks and gulls. Then when we got in a stranger on the shore said to me: “Did you see the eagle? It flew over the carpark half an hour ago”. However, all I could see in the carpark was a lot of cars and two jackdaws.

The birds in question were, of course, white-tailed sea eagles. I have seen them once before, in Arctic Scandinavia, but never in Ireland. They are a truly magnificent sight because they are, in terms of wingspan at least, the largest eagles in the world. They became extinct in Ireland just over a century ago — or, to be more accurate, they didn’t ‘become extinct’, they were exterminated by farmers and gamekeepers who mistakenly believed they threatened livestock and game.