Agenda item

Presentation by Project Officer, South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.

The Chairman welcomed Dr Cat Barlow, Project Officer, South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project who was present at the meeting to give a presentation on the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.   Dr Barlow began by advising that the aim of the Project was to reinforce the population of Golden Eagles in the South of Scotland, she emphasised that this was a reinforcement to boost the existing population of Golden Eagles.  There were a number of stakeholders involved in the Project including: Scottish Land and Estates, Scottish National Heritage, Forestry Commission, Visit Scotland, National Farmers’ Union and private landowners.   Dr Barlow explained the background to the Project.  In 2008, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) set out to discover why the Golden Eagle population in the South of Scotland was low and to determine if the population could be reinforced.    Fielding and Harding published a report in 2014 (Golden eagles in the south of Scotland – an overview) which detailed the active breeding habitat of the Golden Eagle and highlighted factors to consider such as food availability, current placements, active range and which areas could support 14 - 16 pairs of Golden Eagles.  The South of Scotland was identified as a suitable location for reintroduction, as there was little movement of the birds across the central belt. Dr Barlow advised that the Project followed the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocation and worked with experts who had a wealth of experience in translocation.  The Project had also learnt from other similar projects such as the translocation of Ospreys and Red Kites and followed their best practice.

Dr Barlow went on to explain the process for translocation.  One chick would be taken from a nest of twins in core areas of the Golden Eagle ranges in Scotland; the donor nest would not be affected by the removal of the chick.  It was proposed to transfer five to ten chicks each year for a five year period.  The chicks would be kept in aviaries and fed until they were ready to fledge.  All the birds would have a satellite tracker to monitor their progress on release into the Moffat hills.    When released, as they were learning to hunt, food would be made available to them.

Dr Barlow further advised that community engagement had been an important part of the Project. There had been a public consultation including meetings across the release area, stakeholder engagement and an online questionnaire.  In general the project had been received positively.     Last August, the first phase of the Project had been launched when the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) had awarded a development grant.  The Project was awaiting a decision on further HL funding and seeking other match funding.   Once funding was in place, recruitment of staff would begin, six new jobs would be created in the Langholm area, and building of the aviaries would commence.   Dr Barlow concluded her presentation by informing that further information on the Project was available at www.goldeneaglessouthofscotland.co.uk 

In response to questions, Dr Barlow advised that they did not envisage Golden Eagles removing lambs. However, they would keep conversations with farmers open in case problems arose.    The shooting fraternity had welcomed the project.   There was no history of any deaths from Golden Eagles colliding with wind turbines.  It was hoped that the Golden Eagles would remain in the South of Scotland but they could potentially move from the area. Presently there were no breeding Golden Eagles in Cumbria or North Northumberland.    In response to a question regarding a possible detrimental effect on Hen Harriers, Dr Barlow advised that Hen Harriers tended to move away from Golden Eagle territories.  The Project had also liaised with the Osprey Project who had considered that there would be no impact on the Osprey population.  The only predator of Golden Eagles was humans, whether by accidental strikes or persecution.  The project was in contact with Police Scotland regarding the area of release.  The Chairman thanked Dr Barlow for attending the meeting and for the interesting presentation.

DECISION

NOTED the presentation.