This is a blog that features the movements of eagles reared in Scotland and fitted with satellite-received transmitters. This effort to better understand eagle dispersal is being undertaken by Natural Research and its partners: the Highland Foundation for Wildlife, the RSPB, SNH and the Scottish Raptor Study Groups. Eagles have been tracked since fledging and data from them will form part of a Natural Research funded PhD by Ewan Weston at Aberdeen University.

IF YOU CLICK ON THE MAPS THEY WILL OPEN IN ANOTHER WINDOW AND WILL BE MUCH CLEARER.

Wednesday 1 February 2012

Background for 57109, 32857, and 32867

Natural Research has been tracking juvenile golden eagles since 2004 to better understand dispersal of juveniles and their use of areas prior to becoming breeders.  In this blog we show the movements of three of the birds we are currently tracking.  At the moment (Feb 2012) we are tracking a total of 12 golden eagles via satellite.  The data will be used by Ewan Weston for his Natural Research supported PhD study.
57109 was tagged in June 2010 as part of our research into the dispersal and habitat selection of juvenile golden eagles in Scotland. We have teamed up with the RSPB, the Highland Foundation for Wildlife and SNH to pool some of our resources to concentrate our tagging effort in the Cairngorms; a region of outstanding beauty, where the conservation of young golden eagles is very important. Justin Grant and Ewan Weston visited this nest site in Upper Deeside in an old Scots pine tree, where Ewan carefully lowered the chick to the ground, measured it and fitted the transmitter. He was a male chick in great condition. He left his parent’s territory on 26 September 2010, and since then has sent most of his time roaming the Donside hills, hunting in the high mountains in the south of the Cairngorms and spent his first winter on the south side of Loch Tay – an area frequented by many tagged eagles.


32857 was tagged in June 2010 as part of our research into the dispersal and habitat selection of juvenile golden eagles in Scotland. The natal site was in Easter Ross. We were led into the site by Bob Swann and the local crofter, whose land is full of wildlife and the perfect place for these eagles to nest. The nest contained several fox cubs that the eagles had recently brought in to feed the youngster, a very healthy male. He left his parent’s territory on 26 January 2011, and explored much of Sutherland very swiftly. This area was obviously not to his liking and he continued south to the Monadhliath, where he has remained ever since, making flights over into the Cairngorms in Angus and Donside.


32867 was tagged in July 2010 as part of our research into the dispersal and habitat selection of juvenile golden eagles in Scotland. The natal site was on the isle of North Harris. North Harris Trust ranger Robin Reid had located the nest some months earlier, and (unusually for the region) it held 2 nestlings, one of which we fitted with a satellite transmitter. This bird was intermediate in size and we are unsure if it is a male or female. Since departing the natal territory on 11 January 2011 this bird has remained exclusively on the Isle of Lewis, in an area renowned for its high density of golden eagles.