White-tailed sea eagle, County Cork, Ireland- Featured in RTE Television Ireland
White-tailed sea eagle ((Haliaeetus albicilla), County Cork Ireland
Irish name: Iolar mara
Near extinction and recovery in Europe
I was on a boat in Glengarriff, County Cork and took this image of this White-tailed sea eagle (WTSE) on Garnish Island. Great to see and capture an image of this majestic bird of prey and also great that I did not fall into the sea while trying to balance the telephoto lens on a moving boat (I am not great on boats)!
An adult WTSE is brown with a pale head and a distinctive white tail. It is the largest bird of prey in Ireland with a wingspan of up to 2.4m. Females are about a third larger than the males, weighing around 6kgs compared to an average male of around 4kgs. Juveniles are darker brown than the adults and do not develop a white tail until 3-4 years. White tailed sea eagles can live up to twenty years.
The Eagles name is Brendan and is named after the retired wildlife ranger Brendan O’Shea and is a second generation eagle born in the wild in Ireland.
Brendan the eagle is four years old and is part of the White Tailed Eagle reintroduction programme and was born in Ireland. His girlfriend disappeared last year but he now has a new mate so we hope for chicks next year. Amazing to see and capture the image during these difficult times
The Irish White-tailed Sea Eagle Reintroduction Programme is a long-term initiative to re-establish a population of this extinct species in the Republic of Ireland managed by the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS)
Releases of birds (Phase 1) saw 100 young eagles release over five years (2007-2011) in Killarney National Park, Co. Kerry.
The released eagles subsequently dispersed widely throughout Ireland with the first successful breeding occurring in 2012 on Lough Derg, County Clare. By July 2020, a small breeding population of eight to ten pairs had successfully fledged 31 chicks across counties Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway and Tipperary.
During the period 1800-1970 WTSE in most of Europe underwent dramatic decline and became extinct in many regions of western, central and southern Europe. Norway, Germany, Poland and Iceland harboured the largest surviving population while small pockets of reproducing pairs remained in several other countries.
Intense conservation actions throughout much of the remaining European distribution range led to a recovery of many local populations. Since the 1980s, the European White-tailed Sea Eagle population has recovered steadily, and is spreading back westward. It has today recolonised several traditional breeding areas in Europe and the recovery is still on-going, assisted in Ireland and the United Kingdom by reintroduction schemes.
The program started in the summer of 2007. Fifteen to twenty young eagles from Norway were released in spring into the Killarney National Park in the south-west of Ireland. This comprehensive project will last a number of years with many more eagles being released. The species has a rich history on the island but became extinct in Ireland in the 1900’s due to persecution from landowners. The last pair bred on the coast of Mayo in 1912.
The first White-tailed Sea Eagle breeding pair since 1912 nested 100 years later on Lough Derg (Loch Deirgeirt). Marking a great success for the Irish reintroduction programme. In early May 2013, the first eaglets were born in Ireland since the re-introduction programme began; one in the Killarney National Park and two in County Clare.
The new phase of the reintroduction programme (2020-2022) involves the release of young eagles at several sites, In early June 2020, the project began with the collection of ten chicks from nests in Norway (under licence by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research).
Wonderful to see such a majestic eagle back in Ireland.
White-tailed sea eagle, County Cork, Ireland- Featured in RTE Television Ireland
White-tailed sea eagle ((Haliaeetus albicilla), County Cork Ireland
Irish name: Iolar mara
Near extinction and recovery in Europe
I was on a boat in Glengarriff, County Cork and took this image of this White-tailed sea eagle (WTSE) on Garnish Island. Great to see and capture an image of this majestic bird of prey and also great that I did not fall into the sea while trying to balance the telephoto lens on a moving boat (I am not great on boats)!
An adult WTSE is brown with a pale head and a distinctive white tail. It is the largest bird of prey in Ireland with a wingspan of up to 2.4m. Females are about a third larger than the males, weighing around 6kgs compared to an average male of around 4kgs. Juveniles are darker brown than the adults and do not develop a white tail until 3-4 years. White tailed sea eagles can live up to twenty years.
The Eagles name is Brendan and is named after the retired wildlife ranger Brendan O’Shea and is a second generation eagle born in the wild in Ireland.
Brendan the eagle is four years old and is part of the White Tailed Eagle reintroduction programme and was born in Ireland. His girlfriend disappeared last year but he now has a new mate so we hope for chicks next year. Amazing to see and capture the image during these difficult times
The Irish White-tailed Sea Eagle Reintroduction Programme is a long-term initiative to re-establish a population of this extinct species in the Republic of Ireland managed by the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS)
Releases of birds (Phase 1) saw 100 young eagles release over five years (2007-2011) in Killarney National Park, Co. Kerry.
The released eagles subsequently dispersed widely throughout Ireland with the first successful breeding occurring in 2012 on Lough Derg, County Clare. By July 2020, a small breeding population of eight to ten pairs had successfully fledged 31 chicks across counties Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway and Tipperary.
During the period 1800-1970 WTSE in most of Europe underwent dramatic decline and became extinct in many regions of western, central and southern Europe. Norway, Germany, Poland and Iceland harboured the largest surviving population while small pockets of reproducing pairs remained in several other countries.
Intense conservation actions throughout much of the remaining European distribution range led to a recovery of many local populations. Since the 1980s, the European White-tailed Sea Eagle population has recovered steadily, and is spreading back westward. It has today recolonised several traditional breeding areas in Europe and the recovery is still on-going, assisted in Ireland and the United Kingdom by reintroduction schemes.
The program started in the summer of 2007. Fifteen to twenty young eagles from Norway were released in spring into the Killarney National Park in the south-west of Ireland. This comprehensive project will last a number of years with many more eagles being released. The species has a rich history on the island but became extinct in Ireland in the 1900’s due to persecution from landowners. The last pair bred on the coast of Mayo in 1912.
The first White-tailed Sea Eagle breeding pair since 1912 nested 100 years later on Lough Derg (Loch Deirgeirt). Marking a great success for the Irish reintroduction programme. In early May 2013, the first eaglets were born in Ireland since the re-introduction programme began; one in the Killarney National Park and two in County Clare.
The new phase of the reintroduction programme (2020-2022) involves the release of young eagles at several sites, In early June 2020, the project began with the collection of ten chicks from nests in Norway (under licence by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research).
Wonderful to see such a majestic eagle back in Ireland.