And finally for this week: some good news
Major increase in eagle nests where gamekeepers work - The Scottish Gamekeepers Association
A new survey has shown a 57% increase in eagle nests in only 7 years in Scotland on land managed by professional gamekeepers.
The national study, following on from similar surveys in 2013 and 2015, was conducted by The Scottish Gamekeepers Association, which has 5300 members in Scotland.
Officials asked members for locational details of active eagle nests on the ground they manage, with 35 new nests mapped from the previous survey carried out in 2015.
Reintroduced sea eagles featured for the first time, with 5 new territories mapped while there were 11 new golden eagle nests within the Cairngorms National Park boundary and 10 in the Monadhliath Mountains; the area showing the biggest geographic rise since 2015.
From the 2015 survey, 2 of the 58 territories were no longer used by eagles but the 35 new nests amounted to a significant surge from 58 to 91 nests between 2015 and 2022.
The actual increase is likely to be greater, with large parts of the west coast and Sutherland not enjoying the same survey coverage as areas of central and eastern Scotland.
Similarly, south Scotland was not mapped although officials from The South of Scotland Golden Eagle project stated recently that 19 of the 23 eaglets translocated to bolster populations in the region had come from Scottish game estates.
Remarkably, in the Cairngorms National Park there are now 37 active eagle nests on land managed by gamekeepers for grouse, pheasants, deer or other game species.
More on:
Posted On: 21/04/2023