The Steller's Sea Eagle, Haliaeetus pelagicus is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers. This is, on average, the heaviest eagle in the world, as it averages about 6.8 kg (15 lb), but may lag behind the Harpy Eagle and the Philippine Eagle in other measurements.This bird breeds on the Kamchatka peninsula, the coastal area around the Sea of Okhotsk, the lower reaches of the Amur river and on northern Sakhalin and the Shantar Islands, Russia. The majority of birds winter further south, in the southern Kuril islands and Hokkaidō, Japan. That being said, the Steller's Sea-eagle is less vagrant than the White-tailed Eagle, usually lacking the long-range dispersal common in juveniles of that species.
Description, systematics and status
Stellers' Sea-eagle is the biggest bird in the Genus Haliaeetus and is one of the largest raptors overall. The typical size range is 86.5-105 cm (34-41 inches) long and the wingspan is 203-241 cm (6.8-8 feet). On average, females weigh from 6.8 to 9 kg (15 to 20 lb), while males are considerably lighter with a weight range from 4.9 to 6 kg (10.8 to 13.2 lb). An unverified record exists of a huge female, gorged on salmon, having weighed 12.7 kg (28 lb).
This species is classified as Vulnerable. The main threats to its survival are habitat alteration, industrial pollution and over-fishing. The current population is estimated at 5,000 and decreasing.Two subspecies have been named: the nominate pelagicus, and the Korean Sea-eagle, Haliaeetus pelagicus niger[2]. The latter name was given to the Korean population which was apparently resident all year and lacked white feathers except for the tail. Its validity is disputed; it may have been a morph and not a genetically distinct population. In any case, the Korean population of this species is extinct since the 1950s due to habitat loss and hunting.
The relationships of Steller's Sea-eagle are not completely resolved. mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data tentatively suggests that this species's ancestors diverged early in the colonization of the Holarctic by sea eagles. This is strongly supported by morphological traits such as the yellow eyes, beak, and talons shared by this species and the other northern sea-eagles, the White-tailed and Bald Eagles, and biogeography.(Wink et al., 1996)
The large size (see also Bergmann's Rule) suggests that it is a glacial relic, meaning that it evolved in a narrow subarctic zone of the northeasternmost Asian coasts, which shifted its latitude according to ice age cycles, and never occurred anywhere else. It is unique among all sea eagles in having a yellow bill even in juvenile birds, and possessing 14, not 12, rectrices.
Food
The Steller's Sea-eagle mainly feeds on fish, especially salmon and trout. Besides fish, it also preys on water-dwelling birds, mammals and carrion. This eagle may prey on young seals, but seals are generally more likely to be eaten as carrion.
Reproduction
This eagle builds several aeries (height, 150 cm; diameter up to 250 cm) high up on trees and rock. It is possible that the eagles change occasionally between these nests. After courtship, which usually occurs between February and March, the animals lay their first white-green eggs around April to May. Usually only one chick survives. After an incubation period of around 39 - 45 days the chicks hatch, having ash grey to white down. As young birds the down changes to brown feathers. At an age of around ten weeks, the young birds learn to fly, while they reach sexual maturity at around four to five years. Only at the age from eight to ten years a Steller's Sea-eagle is wearing full adult plumage.
6 comments:
You sound like a raptor fan, here's some stuff to trawl through...
I am collecting data on the White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla throughout its range,
if you have data on this species in Turkey I'd be interested to receive it.
WHITE-TAILED EAGLE (WTE) STUFF FIRST
Please find details of the Irish plan to introduce this species below:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2007-01-04T132151Z_01_L04378230_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRELAND-EAGLES.xml
http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=79045&pt=n
RED KITE STUFF SECOND
For your information please find below an English Nature publication that will give you some idea of
what has been happening with the reintroduction of the Red Kite (Milvus milvus) in England and Scotland together with the growth of the Welsh population over the last twenty years or so:
http://www.english-nature.org.uk/pubs/publication/PDF/Redkite.pdf
A new Red Kite ( Milvus milvus) web site that concentrates on the first English reintroduction area in
the Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire:
http://www.redkites.net
You could also visit this web site run by the Welsh Kite Trust. It provides details of the status of the
Red Kite in all of the reintroduction areas in England and Scotland as well as the remnant population in Wales.
http://www.gigrin.co.uk/w/index.htm
Finally, here is a link to a web site that covers the latest Red Kite reintroduction area in England near
Gateshead to the west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north-east of that country :
http://www.northernkites.org.uk/news.htm
Galloway Kite Trail web site to support this on-the-ground experience:
http://www.gallowaykitetrail.com/index.html
This newspaper article tells of the money that tourists using the Galloway Kite Trail spend in a year in that part of Scotland:
http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=1283242006
There is also this book written by a colleague at Natural England with data supplied by myself:
The Red Kite by Ian Carter, Arlequin Press ISBN: 1900159619
White tailed Eagle reintroduction schemes in the UK
_____
From The Independent web site:
The Eagle Flies Again>
Shot out of our skies, the massive sea eagle is making a spectacular
comeback - and it could soon be seen in a harbour near you. Peter Marren
reports
Published: 22 June 2006
Imagine a great bird the size of a tall bookcase casting shadows as it soars
over the marshes. Better still, think of it following your boat, like a
gannet, its long, banana-yellow bill casting this way and that as it scans
the ocean for fishy titbits. Or perhaps you see it perched on a rock by the
harbour with outstretched wings, rather like one of the copper liver birds
overlooking Liverpool's waterfront. Could this be the highlight of a
wildlife tour of tropical Africa or the Amazon? No, it is a possible glimpse
of East Anglia a few years from now. It could even be a scene from the
Thames Gateway.
The bird is the sea eagle, the fourth-largest eagle in the world and the
biggest bird of prey in northern Europe. Its story has been one of the
unlikeliest conservation successes of recent times. Pushed to extinction in
Britain by sheep farmers and sporting interests in the early years of the
20th century, the return of the sea eagle became a conservation sensation
three generations later.
Young birds taken from their nests in Norway were reared and then released
into the wild. There are now some 33 breeding pairs of the great bird, all
of them in Scotland. And their number is steadily increasing at 12 per cent
a year, a sign that the population is already "self-sustaining". In other
words, barring some unforeseen catastrophe, the sea eagle is back and here
to stay.
Here to stay but, for most of us, a long distance away. In much of the
country, it is quicker and cheaper to fly to Majorca than make the journey
to sea eagle country on Scotland's remote north-west coast. But there are
plans to reintroduce the eagle to more populous parts of Britain. Last
December, English Nature even approved a scheme to release them in East
Anglia, where the Suffolk coast has been earmarked as the most
eagle-friendly area. There are similar plans to rear and release sea eagles
in lowland Scotland and in north Wales. The East Anglian project may begin
as early as next year.
Has the conservation world gone eagle-crazy? Can you imagine the world's
fourth-largest eagle making a living over the rooftops of Ipswich? Or
gliding along the Menai Straits, fixing Brunel's railway bridge with its
glassy yellow stare? Well, yes, say the eagle's human promoters; believe it
or not, they can.
This is not the shy, aloof golden eagle, forever destined to flee from
ever-encroaching human habitation. The sea eagle gets on with people quite
well - that is, as long as we are not persecuting them. In other parts of
the world, they hang around fishing harbours and nest close to villages. In
behaviour, sea eagles are more like their close relative, the American bald
eagle (the world's third-largest eagle). This American icon routinely nests
on the outskirts of major cities, like Vancouver, even, on occasion, in big
trees in parks and gardens.
Professor Ian Newton, a world authority on birds of prey, points out that
sea eagles could once be found all around the British coast. "Many parts of
the coast still present suitable habitats for these magnificent birds, and,
if undisturbed, they could nest in fairly close proximity to people. We can
expect them to build their nests in trees and cliffs and to hunt mainly over
the shallower estuaries and inland reservoirs."
Often thought of as the most sterile agricultural plain in Britain, East
Anglia in fact holds a plentiful year-round food supply for sea eagles. The
marshes and muddy estuaries of Suffolk and Essex are well-stocked with
waterfowl and fish, while rabbits are frequent along the drier parts of the
coast.
Moreover, the eagle can take its pick of inland lakes, from the Broads to
the big reservoirs of the East Midlands; a hundred-mile round flight is
nothing to a sea eagle. In Scotland they regularly visit the headwaters of
highland rivers to feast on dead and dying salmon. They also appear from
nowhere like vultures after a ghillie has "gralloched" (that is,
disembowelled) a deer, before carrying it off the hill.
But how will the good folk of East Anglia take to the idea of an eight-foot,
flesh-eating bird swooping over their neighbourhood? If Scotland is any
guide, they will love it. The B&B establishments of Mull have never had it
so good. Eagle watching has become a thriving business in the isles,
generating around £1.5m a year. In England, the reintroduction project is
estimated to cost between £120,000 and £150,000 a year. So, in business
terms, this project could quickly turn a profit.
Sea eagle enthusiasts also point to the popularity of reintroduced red kites
and ospreys. And if you think ospreys are impressive, just wait until you
spot a sea eagle out on a fishing trip.
In truth, it's all about spectacle and spin. Sea eagles are among the
world's least-threatened large birds of prey. Their numbers have quadrupled
in Sweden, and they have recolonised Denmark. They are pleased with Poland
and having fun in Finland. Introducing them to Suffolk isn't going to make
much difference to sea eagle conservation. It is doing very nicely on its
own, thank you very much.
But, as English Nature recognises, there's more to this than meets the eye.
Messing around with sea eagles, says English Nature, "represents a major
opportunity to lead a high profile 'flagship species' project that will
highlight the organisation at the forefront of a major biodiversity delivery
initiative." In other words, sea eagles get the column inches denied to
smaller fry. They star in Springwatch and attract crowds of admirers. They
"deliver benefits to people and nature", say English Nature.
And that is what 21st-century style, ultra-democratic nature conservation
has to be about. Government-funded heritage bodies are terrified at being
seen to be élitist and remote from popular expectations. There's nothing
that links people and nature better than a big fierce bird, especially one
that is unlikely to cause much serious concern to farmers and game
interests.
And there's nothing like an eagle to sum up what it means to be wild and
free. Perhaps people will feel soon be feeling a little wilder and freer
themselves as they wander the muddy banks of Essex and a vast bird floats by
with a flicker of its barn-door wings. Modern Britain may sometimes feel
like a land of suburbs and grain prairies. But if the world's fourth-largest
eagle can make itself at home here, then may be our environment can't be all
that bad.
The giant of the skies
* A very big bird
Weighing as much as a full-grown swan and with a wingspan of eight feet,
this is a most impressive bird - especially from a few feet away as it
follows your boat in the expectation of fishy hand-outs.
* A poetic name
Scottish Gaelic speakers called it Iolaire suil na Greine, "the eagle with
the sunlit eye".
* Distinguishing features
Heavy, vulture-like wings. Massive yellow bill and matching eyes. Tail
trimmed with white on mature birds. In breeding season it can be noisy,
uttering dog-like yelps and harsh screeches.
* Numbers
The European population is about 6,000 pairs, mostly in Scandinavia and
Russia. Norway has the most with about 2,000 pairs. In the remote past,
Britain may have had almost as many.
* What they eat
A lot of things. Sea eagles are fond of fish, alive or dead. They will also
catch and eat waterfowl, including cormorants, gulls and ducks, and steal
anything they fancy from other birds. They like eating rabbits, and they
love carrion. Also lambs, though usually sick or dead ones.
* Where to see them now
Sea-eagle spotting is a major attraction for visitors to the isle of Mull.
Mid-morning is a good time to catch a glimpse. A customised hide run by the
RSPB (bookings can be made by calling 01688 302 038) and three wildlife tour
operators on the island improve your chance of a good view.
* The vision
"Imagine a future when eagles soar again over the chalk cliffs or hunt for
waterfowl over marshes" - Roy Dennis, pioneer of the sea eagle
reintroduction project.
Possible White tailed Eagle reintroduction schemes on the east coast of
Scotland
_____
From The Scotsman web site 8/7/2006:
http://living.scotsman.com/travel.cfm?id=976672006
Hide and seek
BY KATH GOURLAY
Getting up close and personal with a white tailed eagle, also called a sea
eagle, is an awesome experience. With an average wingspan of 244cm - that's
nearly 8ft - they've been dubbed "flying barn doors" by the bird watching
fraternity, and at the world's only live and direct viewing site in Mull,
visitors can appreciate first hand the sheer size, power and beauty of these
massive raptors.
A bird of prey that size has no natural predators to worry about, but human
activity involving shotguns, poison and egg-stealing, collectively saw off
the last of Britain's native sea eagles around a century ago. The last
recorded native white tailed eagle was shot in Shetland in 1917, and to add
insult to injury, it was a rare albino.
The Northern Isles don't have a good track record when it comes to this kind
of thing - the last Great Auk in Britain was killed on Orkney's Papa Westray
in the 19th century. A couple of decades later, hunters in Iceland finished
off the job completely by slaughtering and stuffing the world's last two
Great Auks for collectors.
Fortunately, sea eagles survived in areas like Scandinavia and a
reintroduction programme began in the mid 1970s, when imported Norwegian
birds were released along the west coast of Scotland.
Conservationists started off by giving Scotland's newly introduced sea
eagles dignified, geographically related names like Skye and Frisa. Three
generations on, they sport more down-to-earth monikers. The current chicks
are Haggis and Oatie, and last year's fledglings were dubbed Itchy and
Scratchy.
"Trust local schoolkids to tell it like it is," says David Sexton, Mull's
RSPB Officer, "It shows they were taking an interest in the chicks' habits.
They love coming out to the hide when the eggs are hatching and it was a
group from Dervaig Primary who named that pair."
Frisa, the mother of Itchy and Scratchy, was the offspring of one of the
original Norwegian birds and, more than a quarter of a century on, around 35
breeding pairs of white tailed eagle can be found around the Scottish west
coast.
"Last year, 24 chicks fledged from Scottish nests," says Sexton, "and this
summer we're hoping to celebrate the 200th hatching from the time of the
original donor stock. We're very proud of what we've achieved."
Plans are now afoot to extend the sea eagle's range to Scotland's east
coast, and Scottish Natural Heritage is investigating the Forth and Tay
estuaries as possible sites. According to an SNH spokeswoman, individual
locations have yet to be narrowed down, but discussions with the RSPB have
highlighted areas where the white tailed eagle is known to have thrived 120
to 130 years ago.
In the meantime, eagle watchers have to head west where, if they want to
view sea eagles the easy way, then the Mull hide is tailor made. For those
hoping to track down some of the other nesting sites, the term "coastal" in
bird books could be a bit misleading. According to Sexton, the white tailed
eagle has a somewhat wider ecological niche. He explains: "They are more
associated with the cliff face nesting, but you'll find eyries in spruce
trees in forestry regions near lakes and rivers, or even on the ground in
some instances."
It's safe to assume that conservationists know exactly where the nest sites
are, but for obvious reasons they're not advertising that knowledge. Local
people and police help conservationists run a tight ship when it comes to
protecting sea eagles.
In Mull, it's all been organised so well that a decision was made to feature
one particular eyrie near Loch Frisa as an eco-tourism project, opening it
to visitors, with a special viewing hide during the breeding season. The
eagle watch project is run by Mull and Iona Community Trust, together with
SNH, the RSPB and the Forestry Commission (who own the land round the
eyrie.)
The well-established breeding pair, Skye and Frisa, don't appear to be at
all bothered by their celebrity status (they featured in BBC's Springwatch
with Bill Oddie and Kate Humble) and seem to accept the click of cameras as
part of their everyday environment.
According to the RSPB, these feathered stars have their own 24-hour guard,
in the shape of Strathclyde Police, a dedicated band of island volunteers
and the latest surveillance technology to protect the nest from illegal egg
collectors.
And for those wanting a guaranteed sight of these magnificent birds, this
really is the only sure-fire way of going about it. You've got to get
organised to do it this year though. The site is open from mid April to mid
July, when the chicks are ready to begin trying out their early flying
skills. After that it closes.
"Haggis and Oatie are three months old at the beginning of July and are at
the fledging stage," says Sexton. "At that time they're very vulnerable, so
until they master the art of flying their privacy is strictly protected."
Keep an eye out for Itchy and Scratchy in the skies around their parental
home though. They're not mature enough to breed for another three years, and
were still seen hanging around mum earlier in the year. Scratchy's been
visiting nearby Skye, but came back home before dad chased both of them off
at the beginning of the new breeding season. Itchy seems to have taken
umbrage and hasn't been seen at all recently. It's tough, being an
adolescent.
. To book a trip to see the Mull sea eagles tel: 01688 302038 or visit
www.rspb.org.uk/birds/brilliant/sites/mull/
Scotland's white-tailed eagles hit double century
After 21 years of tireless work by conservation groups, volunteers, the
police, local communities and landowners, the 200th wild-bred white-tailed
eagle chick has fledged on the Isle of Skye.
The chick, one of a brood of three - the first ever record of triplets on
Skye - took flight under the gaze of wildlife CCTV cameras at the RSPB
Scotland viewing area at the Aros Centre near Portree.
The successful hatching of the three chicks brought scenes of great
excitement to the Aros Centre, but the joy of seeing the 200th Scottish
white-tailed eagle chick fledge was tinged with sadness as the youngest of
the brood had become a casualty of the summer storms leading up to
mid-summer's day.
White-tailed eagles settled on Mull and Skye soon after their initial
reintroduction to Rum in 1975, with Skye's first pair attempting to breed in
1987. The island is now home to a quarter of Scotland's white-tailed eagle
population and is one of the best places in Scotland to see the birds in
their natural habitat.
The chick, one of a brood of three - the first ever record of triplets on
Skye - took flight under the gaze of wildlife CCTV cameras at the Aros
Centre near Portree.
Alison Maclennan, RSPB Scotland's Skye Officer said, 'This is a terrific
milestone for us to reach after so many years of hard work, and especially
exciting to mark it with the first ever sea eagle triplets to hatch on the
Isle of Skye.
'Perhaps what is most impressive is that it took us 25 years from the first
introduced birds to see a hundred wild-fledged sea eagles - and just the
last six years for that figure to double.'
Bringing birds closer
In recent years, the nest-cameras at the RSPB Scotland viewing room in the
Aros Centre and the RSPB/Forestry Commission Scotland live viewing hide on
Mull have given thousands of visitors a chance to experience one of Europe's
most impressive wildlife spectacles - with Scotland's First Minister
recently branding the eagles 'a fantastic asset' after seeing them for the
first time.
Emily Miscioscia, Public Affairs Manager for RSPB Scotland added, 'Our
viewing projects bring some amazing birds closer to people across the UK -
but none have been as popular as white-tailed eagle viewing on the west
coast, with many trips to see the eagles fully-booked days in advance.
'Our partnership with Forestry Commission Scotland at Loch Frisa continues
to provide an unrivalled opportunity in Britain and perhaps Europe to see a
real-life conservation success story in action.'
Much of the work to bring white-tailed eagles closer to the public has been
supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund via the Nadair Trust, an Argyll-wide
project promoting wildlife and environmental education. The Aros Centre
viewing project has also been supported by the Biodiversity Action Grants
Scheme.
The Aros Centre white-tailed eagle viewing room will remain open until
October, where visitors can see footage from the summer and hear the full
story of the eagles.
A report on the success of breeding sea eagles across Scotland in 2006 is
expected at the end of the summer, with early indications suggesting that
this may be the best year yet for fledging white-tailed eagles.
Source: RSPB Scotland
27 July 2006
Will eagles land a place by the Forth?
ANDY MILNE
(news_en@edinburghnews.com)
THEIR enormous, eight-foot wing-span has earned them the nickname of
the "flying barn doors".
Majestic sea eagles were regularly seen soaring above the waters of the
Firth of Forth in Victorian times. But, regarded as a pest, the birds
eventually vanished from the estuary as they were hunted to extinction
across Scotland.
Now Scottish Natural Heritage is studying sites along the Forth estuary
with a view to re-introducing the birds after a 120-year absence.
After successfully bringing sea eagles back to the west coast, SNH is
now looking to restore the eagles to places where they once thrived in
the east.
Various sites along the Forth and Tay estuaries are being examined, and
although no specific sites have yet been chosen it is hoped the project
will begin within the next year.
Andy Douse, a senior ornithologist at SNH, said the reintroduction of
the sea eagle was a forward step for Scotland.
He said: "There is no doubt that the white-tailed or sea eagle once
lived throughout Scotland.
"And following the success of the west-coast re-introduction project we
must look seriously at the possibility of an east-coast project as a
means of extending the species range."
With a white tail and eight-foot wingspan the "flying barn door" is the
fourth-largest eagle in the world.
At such a size, the sea eagle has no natural predators but was forced
into extinction in Scotland by egg stealing, poisoning and hunting.
Victorian land mangers viewed the giant bird as a pest, but in the
modern age rare birds of prey are a major boost to Scottish tourism.
A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said:
"For example, the ospreys of Scotland attract over 125, 000 visitors
annually who spend £2.2 million every year."
Sea eagles were re-introduced on the Isle of Mull in the 1970s and
their presence is a big pull for bird watchers.
A RSPB hide that views a pair of the sea eagles is estimated to boost
the local economy by £1.7m every year.
The RSPB spokesman said: "The sea eagle is formerly a native bird that
suffered persecution that brought local extinction.
"Reintroducing it is about re-stabilising this totemic species in
Scotland.
"In the past they were persecuted for many reasons such as egg
collecting, deemed contrary to land-management philosophy. They were
basically viewed as a pest.
"There's still a significant risk to the productivity of the birds -
people persist in trying to collect eggs."
The continuing unwanted attention of egg collectors means the birds
will require security measures if they are to survive. Therefore, the
precise location of the sites finally chosen will not - initially at
least - be made public.
The difficulty of reintroducing the birds is compounded by the fact
pairs only produce a brood of one chick each year, meaning the theft of
one egg wipes out a generation.
The birds will be introduced to the east coast by transporting young
sea eagles from Scandinavia and keeping them confined within a wild
area. Once habituated the birds will be released into the wild.
The RSPB spokesman said anyone lucky enough to catch sight of them
would not easily forget the experience.
He said: "The problem with pictures is that there's no scale. If you
see them flying in the sky, they're absolutely enormous.
"Their wings are also very wide. It's quite magnificent, it takes your
breath away."
Eagle return eyed May 4 2006
By Andrew Forgrave, Daily Post
THE world's fourth largest eagle could be set for a return to Wales.
Wildlife-lovers hope to re-introduce the White-Tailed Sea Eagle to Welsh coasts for the first time in centuries. If successful, the 8ft-winged bird - bigger than the Golden Eagle - is likely to become a major tourism draw as the signature animal of Wales' growing wildlife economy.
A group called Eryr M??r Cymru (Welsh Sea Eagles) has been set up and the project has the blessing of the Countryside Council for Wales: conservationists, falconers and academics met in Llanfairfechan yesterday to launch the scheme, aware they must first convince sceptics.
Farmers may be concerned about the safety of lambs while commercial fishermen could complain about the loss of fish stocks.
Prof Gareth Edwards-Jones, of Bangor University, said an established sea eagle colony would add a "wow factor" to Welsh wildlife tourism.
He said: "Farm unions and fishing groups from the Ll£n Peninsula were
invited to the meeting so we could discuss any concerns they might have.
"We are also talking to other conservation groups such as the RSPB, which may have concerns about the impact on other conservation species, such as the black grouse."
The re-introduction of the Golden Eagle was considered but studies concluded the Sea Eagle was a better bet as it would have good access to food supplies - fish, seabirds, small mammals and carrion.
If consensus is reached, Eryr Mor Cymru hopes to apply for £160,000 EU funding in the autumn and could start importing eaglets from Norway as early as next year, though 2008 remains more likely. Around 20 birds a year would be released over four years at two release sites in North West Wales. Several landowners have offered sites and these will be assessed this summer.
The group has enlisted as consultants world-reknowned eagle experts Dr Roy Dennis and Dr Mick Marquis, both of whom were involved in the re-introduction of the bird off the west coast of Scotland.
The Scottish project got underway on the island of Rum in 1975 with 82 birds brought under licence from Norway by the RAF.
The first breeding success was recorded in 1985. A further 58 young Norwegian eagles were released onto the Scottish mainland and the first of these began to breed in 1998.
Five have been killed, two by poison, and a Welsh re-introduction project would require long-term surveillance. Naturally gregarious, the birds may eventually nest in seaside towns.
Last month the RSPB estimated Mull's famous sea eagles generated £1.45m-£1.69m a year for the island's economy.
The arrival of ospreys to Glaslyn, Porthmadog, and the success of red kite breeding projects in Mid Wales have already brought tourism benefits for farmers.
farming@dailypost.co.uk
Tales of a magical predator
SEA eagle plumage is mainly brown, though the bird's eyes, beak and talons are bright yellow, giving the poetic Gaelic name Iolairesuilnagreine ("the eagle with the sunlit eye").
Shetlanders believed it had magical abilities as fish apparently offered themselves belly-up in submission. Fishermen smeared their own baits with sea eagle fat to improve catches.
In reality sea eagles are quick to spot spent salmon on spawning grounds, or take disabled fish that are forced to the surface in deep tidal streams.
Although sea eagles catch live prey, they often steal from predators or follow fishing vessels for scraps. They also scavenge for carrion, particularly in winter: the fallen stock burial ban has set back conservation efforts.
Sheep farming, hunting, persecution and taxidermy wiped out indigenous British populations. A pair on the Isle of Man in 1818 was the last south of Scotland: the last UK bird, an albino, was shot in 1918.
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