Environment

Scottish Highlands crofters blame sea eagles for leap in lamb deaths

by Amy Judd | September 23, 2008 at 09:42 am

450 views | 5 Recommendations | 6 comments

More than 200 lambs have died since August because farmers say that Sea Eagles are killing them and thus threatening their livelihoods.

Fifteen of the birds were released in August and since then farmers in Gairloch, in the north-west Highlands say that the eagles have been killing their new flocks.

One woman reported seeing one of the sea eagles swooping down on a lamb and lifting it from the field in its talons.

The crofters said the RSPB and Scottish Natural Heritage, who reintroduced the birds to the area, were not taking their concerns seriously enough. The RSPB said it was unlikely the birds were responsible for all the deaths.

This was the second year that the so-called "flying barn doors" were released into the Scottish wilderness. The birds, which have a wingspan of up to 3 metres (9ft) and can weigh around 7kg (15.4lb), were collected as chicks from nests in Norway and raised in special aviaries before they were set free.

Sea eagles have taken several lambs in the past but the death toll this year far exceeds past totals, the farmers said.

William Fraser, the chairman of the Gairloch and Poolewe branch of the Crofting Foundation, said the birds were directly to blame for the rise in lamb deaths.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Farming Today this morning, he said: "This year has been particularly bad. The crofters know how many lambs they put out after lambing season and one woman has lost 50% of her animals.

"She actually saw a sea eagle lifting a lamb from her field and flying off with it. We've had lambs that have had their necks sliced, they then can't lift them and are found going round in circles."

However, it seems as if there are only three breeding pairs in the area and that it would be hard for them to be responsible for all the lamb deaths.

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Paschen

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:18 on September 23rd, 2008

amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Easy to blame it on the new comer rather then on the Farmer. I have seen Farmers blame death on Wolfs and Wild dogs so they can collect Government Compensation wish would not be paid if the Animal where to die of other causes they due to Wild Life Killings.

scrumsrus

at 14:11 on September 23rd, 2008

It's possible that the Sea Eagles have taken a few very weak young lambs that have been abandoned by the ewe, but there is no way that 15 birds took over 200 lambs - it's just not possible. They may have scavenged on already dead lambs but they couldn't have killed that number. It's a case of old predjudices comming to the fore with the bird being reintroduced, but they just don't hold up to invesstigation. When the RSPB checked the nests they did not discover any signs of lamb remains at all, NO wool, NO bones, nothing.

scrumsrus has contributed a photo to this story.

barryforbes69

at 23:46 on September 23rd, 2008

I live in Fife very close to the release site chosen by the East of Scotland reintroduction program for Sea Eagles. There were around 20 birds released here in 2007 and another 15 in August this year.(There are currently 8 birds still in the area) I haven't heard of any suspected lamb kills in or around the area. ! I can see why there are some concerns over Sea Eagles but first and foremost they are British birds and up until persecution wiped them out by 1916 they were widespread in Scotland so this is their natural home and they belong here.

equso

at 01:31 on September 24th, 2008

The Sea Eagle in the shot of mine used here was on Mull, where there are also golden eagles and osprey. I hear of no losses blamed on them from the farmer I know there.

hawkgenes

at 08:39 on September 24th, 2008

Sea eagles rarely take healthy lambs, they prefer to feed on carrion and in my experience only take live animals which are injured, weak and are therefore likely to die anyway. These are British birds and deserve their place. Are farmers over reacting as they did before when these wonderful birds were driven out of their home early in the last century?

Hawkgenes