Hugh’s News – 2 July 2026

This edition focuses on an article provided by Martyn Jamieson with accompanying photos.

Martin writes:

“The Outer Hebrides has provided young eagles for several reintroduction schemes, most recently in the Borders, Ireland and the Isle of Wight. In early June a team from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation came over to collect young white-tailed eagles for the latest release on Exmoor. I guided two of the team to a site on South Uist where the week before we (Uist Raptor Study Group) had ringed two healthy 5-week-old chicks. Young are only taken from nests with twins; usually the older stronger chick is taken on the basis that it is better able to cope with the translocation. The smaller chick then gets full attention from both parent birds and should thrive.

After an arduous hour and a half uphill slog over boggy moorland to the crag overlooking the Minch, things didn’t look good. On abseiling down to the eyrie, there was only one chick – so it looked like we would leave empty-handed. Then we heard the other chick squawking, and found it several feet below on a ledge. It was the bigger chick, which had been quite a handful when being ringed. Very vocal and active to say the least. It looked very healthy, with a bulging crop. On closer examination the chick in the nest didn’t look good – it seemed weak, had an empty crop, and we noticed several ticks around his eyes and beak. Noisy big brother was obviously getting most of the food.

On this basis it was decided to take the younger bird, also a male. He was carefully placed in a wicker basket and carried back to our vehicle. Various swabs were taken to be tested for infection and internal parasites, the main concern being Avian Influenza. Birds collected are kept in isolation until given the all-clear, and everything that comes into contact with them is bagged and then disinfected – all very rigorous.

The eaglet was hungry and dehydrated, so a piece of steak was soaked in water, cut into chunks, and offered to him. He took most of it before the team headed off for the ferry to Skye and the start of his gradual journey south.

That week the team collected four birds from the Outer Hebrides. They are hoping for 12 birds this summer, but doubt they will be able to collect that many. It doesn’t seem to be a productive year for the eagles, probably due to poor weather this spring, and there aren’t that many nests with twins”. 

That is the end of Martyn’s article, but obviously not the end of the story. So keep a look out for updates on the Exmoor WTE project – we will update you if we hear anything. I know the Isle of Wight reintroduction is going well at this early stage. But you may need to be patient – White-tailed Eagles do not normally breed until they are 5 – 6 years years old!

Hugh