Are there many Eagles breeding this year?

petertgtt

Just wondering if there are White tailed eagles breeding this year? I followed the eagles last year in Mountshannon on Nigel Beers Smith's website and am wondering if any other pairs have nested this year?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

It's too early for going public on nesting yet!

Capercaille

The Sea Eagles are back in Mountshannon.

Birdnuts

In general such info will not be released until chicks have been raised and fledged

OpenYourEyes

The pair are back nesting at Mountshannon from what I can gather, and I expect there's a pair in Killarney National Park too as there was in previous years.

None of the other nests will be publicised or mentioned in public until they've fledged because of the high risk of persecution - we're all painfully aware of the damage that can be done by a single bad-minded person.

So we can all just keep our fingers crossed until the end of the summer basically
Hopefully the weather isn't overly wet or windy, and that any new pairs will be left alone and have a bit of luck too!

Kess73

Would have to agree. Save for the high profile nest sites that get mentioned in the general media, any other site should not be named for the sake of the birds.

In an ideal world we would be able to name sites and nowt would happen to the birds, but the frankly staggering level of ignorance/persecution towards BOP in this country means that site naming is a poor idea.

Joeseph Balls

Kess73 wrote: »

Would have to agree. Save for the high profile nest sites that get mentioned in the general media, any other site should not be named for the sake of the birds.

In an ideal world we would be able to name sites and nowt would happen to the birds, but the frankly staggering level of ignorance/persecution towards BOP in this country means that site naming is a poor idea.

Is egg stealing or chick stealing a problem in this country along with the other reasons?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Joeseph Balls wrote: »

Is egg stealing or chick stealing a problem in this country along with the other reasons?

Let's just say that there is a potential risk.

This type is secrecy is quite normal for any rare breeding bird species.

dodderangler

Joeseph Balls wrote: »

Is egg stealing or chick stealing a problem in this country along with the other reasons?

More of a problem is the poisoning of the parents. And then chicks die or the illegal shooting of a eagle on its best tho doesn't happen often

Joeseph Balls

dodderangler wrote: »

More of a problem is the poisoning of the parents. And then chicks die or the illegal shooting of a eagle on its best tho doesn't happen often

I'm aware of that. I was wondering about people raiding the nests as its common in the UK

OpenYourEyes

Egg-collecting is much bigger in the UK than it is here, but I've seen it mentioned somewhere that because they do such a good job of policing nests and colonies of rare birds in the UK, that some egg-collectors come over here and target rare species where the level of monitoring is comparatively lower. Obviously it's impossible to quantify exactly how true that is.

With regards chicks, they do get taken from nests in Ireland but I'd suspect it's mostly from Peregrine nests and birds used in falconry than for Eagles etc.

Tiercel Dave

Since 2010, I think, all Falconry birds bred in captivity have to have an NPWS closed ring fitted. All Falconry birds taken under licence have to be micro chipped. These are checked at least once a year. So it's not too easy for a licenced falconer to pass off an illegally taken wild bird.

An 'individual' could take a bird but that requires a certain knowledge and it would be hard for a first-timer to train without experienced support. Any legal and licenced falconer is not going to risk his reputation getting involved with such individuals, most definitely no club will have anything to do with him.

Basically my point is that very few illegal birds are taken to be used in falconry! Dave

Capercaille

Tiercel Dave wrote: »

Since 2010, I think, all Falconry birds bred in captivity have to have an NPWS closed ring fitted. All Falconry birds taken under licence have to be micro chipped. These are checked at least once a year. So it's not too easy for a licenced falconer to pass off an illegally taken wild bird.

An 'individual' could take a bird but that requires a certain knowledge and it would be hard for a first-timer to train without experienced support. Any legal and licenced falconer is not going to risk his reputation getting involved with such individuals, most definitely no club will have anything to do with him.

Basically my point is that very few illegal birds are taken to be used in falconry! Dave

Since peregrines have a stable population in Ireland we can probably say that stealing of eggs/chicks for falconry birds is not a major problem in Ireland. In Europe however falcons like the Lanner and Saker falcon are heavily threatened by people stealing chicks from nests for use in falconry.

OpenYourEyes

I thought I heard before that some people sell them to sell abroad - that in the Middle East it's a status type thing to have a good Falcon, and historically wild Irish Falcons would have had somewhat of a legendary status.

That being said, getting a stolen Peregrine chick out of the country can't be easy either, another reason it's not a widespread problem.

dodderangler

I know of a bird sold to a middle east prince for a substantial amount ( bird wasn't wild was pure bred by breeder) and it's almost like a league over there. The better your bird is the more it reflects on you and your family. Better the bird =more respect.
Havin been over there I was told this by a middle eastern lad who partakes in falconry

Tiercel Dave

Wild Irish female Peregrines would command a premium price tag however the age that the 'chick' is taken at has a bearing on that value. 'Arabs' want parent-reared birds that have been on the wing for a few weeks. Chicks taken before they can fly will imprint to some degree and most likely become 'screamers'. A trait they will never lose. So you are now into the realms of trapping. I doubt any of that goes on here. That is the reason Sakers and Lanners are trapped rather than taken as eyasses. Not a practice I condone, by the way. Dave

dodderangler

Havint seen that many sakers in falconry over here. Seen a fair amount of Pere/ sakers

Kess73

Mod Post: Guys as interesting as this chat could become, and it is one I could easily find myself getting caught up in, I am going to have to ask that we swing back onto the topic of wild BOP, specifically eagles, otherwise we end up with a falconry based convo in place of why the thread was created..

Ape Owners

Another danger facing our native bops.
https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t1.0-9/1482764_635478659847467_238139445_n.jpg

petertgtt

Great, thanks for all the replies! So its too early to say. Hopefully there will be a few nesting this year successfully. I was lucky enough to see one eagle hunting in Kerry couple years back, they really are a magnificent sight to have in Ireland.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I suspect we may be pleasantly surprised by the number nesting this year.

whyulittle

White-tailed Eagles have successfully hatched chicks in Ireland in recent weeks.

Fourteen pairs of eagles are holding territories across four counties with at least seven pairs nesting and laying eggs.

In the last two weeks the first chicks of 2014 hatched in nests at Mountshannon, Co. Clare, and at Glengarriff in West Cork.

Other pairs are nesting at sites in Kerry and Galway but have yet to hatch.

In the last two weeks a pair was confirmed to have hatched chicks at a nest near Mountshannon, Co Clare.

This pair created history in 2013 when they reared the first chicks to fly from a nest in Ireland in over 100 years.

A new nesting pair at Glengarriff was the first pair to hatch chicks this year in late April.

Unfortunately the breeding efforts of this pair and a pair nesting in Killarney National Park failed, probably due to a combination of poor weather and inexperience.

Hopes are high that the Mountshannon pair and others around the country will successfully raise chicks that will go on to form the basis of a viable population in Ireland.

More on Facebook.

kerry4sam

Their was a lovely write up in the Examiner yesterday also right here.

Norwegian ambassador Roald Næss said: “This is an excellent example of international cooperation on a practical level, aiming at preserving nature and biodiversity for the benefit of future generations.”