golden eagle re introduction programme

bibio

Anyone any idea how this programme is going. I have been following progress since June 01, but there hasnt been an update on the web site sonce Nov 09. Anyone know if they released any more birds in 2010? Was there any breeding attempts in 2010 and any successful?
Thanks
Bibio

Feargal as Luimneach

bibio wrote: »

Anyone any idea how this programme is going. I have been following progress since June 01, but there hasnt been an update on the web site sonce Nov 09. Anyone know if they released any more birds in 2010? Was there any breeding attempts in 2010 and any successful?
Thanks
Bibio

In 2009 and 2007 when sucessfull breeding took place information was released via the media and also on the golden eagle trust website (if i recall correctly). Heard nothing this year about any eagle chicks:(
Alas all the news we seem to get is bastards shooting them or eagles being poisoned.

whyulittle

Saw a quick clip advertising RTE's autumn line-up today, and they look to have a programme/series on the re-introduction.

Birdnuts

Unfortunatly there doesn't appear to have been any successfull breeding this year. Not suprising really given that the losses from illegal poisoning/persecution appear to be even more severe than its sister project in Kerry:(

suey71

I was hill walking on Djouce mountain in Wicklow yesterday and I'm convinced that I saw 2 gliding together, about 30 meters apart.

They were much too big to be crows and just seemed to circle/glide with their heads down below the level of their wings looking down, and they didn't flap their wings once.

They were about 200 yards from me and I was at an altitude of about 700 meters.
I couldn't see their colour as it was overcast.

I hope they were Golden Eagles.

bibio

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

In 2009 and 2007 when sucessfull breeding took place information was released via the media and also on the golden eagle trust website (if i recall correctly). Heard nothing this year about any eagle chicks:(
Alas all the news we seem to get is bastards shooting them or eagles being poisoned.

Thanks for the info Feargal, I have been keeping a good eye on the updates for all the re introduction programme, pity they wouldnt post more updates. I Have to take issue with your comments about "bastards shooting eagles", as far as I'm aware no case of an eagle ever been shot, and your comments are really counter productive, and language inflamatory, safer if your comments are based on fact rather than fiction. In my experience hunters and fishermen are the most avid of conservationalists.

Feargal as Luimneach

bibio wrote: »

Thanks for the info Feargal, I have been keeping a good eye on the updates for all the re introduction programme, pity they wouldnt post more updates. I Have to take issue with your comments about "bastards shooting eagles", as far as I'm aware no case of an eagle ever been shot, and your comments are really counter productive, and language inflamatory, safer if your comments are based on fact rather than fiction. In my experience hunters and fishermen are the most avid of conservationalists.

http://www.goldeneagle.ie/news_viewnews.php?x=3&z=44&f=3&news_id=9&start=9

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/rare-eagle-found-shot-dead-was-killed-in-northern-ireland-14566648.html

Red kite and eagle shooting. I myself have X-rayed a buzzard that was shot:mad:

bibio

I was aware of the single red kite being shot, it is indenfensible and the idiot who did it, should be banned from holding a firearm, but the OP post was about ealges and in that context, you said bastards shooting them. Sort it out and stop winding up different groups, choose your words carefully and clarify what you are trying to communicate. I find it is much better when all stakeholders work together.

LostCovey

bibio wrote: »

but the OP post was about ealges and in that context, you said bastards shooting them. Sort it out and stop winding up different groups, choose your words carefully and clarify what you are trying to communicate. I find it is much better when all stakeholders work together.

Re tone and choosing words, we all need to think about that at times Bibio.

By the way a young White-tailed eagle was also shot with a shotgun on Lough Neagh last year, with good circumstantial evidence that it was shot from a wildfowling hide. So along with the Kite, that backs up Feargal's assertion, and suggests there may indeed be more than one "person of questionable parentage" shooting large raptors in Ireland.

Yes all stakeholders need to work together, and most shooters are highly principled individuals.

But I have heard young silly immature boys with gun licences & guns trying to sound macho by saying things like "if it flies it dies heee heee heee".

LostCovey

Kess73

bibio wrote: »

Thanks for the info Feargal, I have been keeping a good eye on the updates for all the re introduction programme, pity they wouldnt post more updates. I Have to take issue with your comments about "bastards shooting eagles", as far as I'm aware no case of an eagle ever been shot, and your comments are really counter productive, and language inflamatory, safer if your comments are based on fact rather than fiction. In my experience hunters and fishermen are the most avid of conservationalists.

Feargal did not say that all hunters and fisherman are bastards, in fact he did not even say that it was a hunter or fisherman who shot the birds in question.

He simply referred to the people killing the birds as bastards. In my own experience just because a person owns or has access to a gun, it does not mean they are a hunter. All it means is that they are a person with a firearm, and that they may or may not have the same care in using that firearm as others do.

I would even go as far as to say that the vast majority of the people who have shot or poisoned birds of prey in this country are not hunters nor are they anglers. Just assholes who are too ignorant to grasp that what they are killing is no threat.

jwshooter

the word bastards was used in general ,im surprised at the mods allowing it ..

LostCovey

jwshooter wrote: »

the word bastards was used in general ,im surprised at the mods allowing it ..

Yes, they should change that to crassly immature, criminally-minded, reckless, immature, irresponsible shooters of unknown parentage.

Immediately.

LC

Mothman

jwshooter wrote: »

the word bastards was used in general ,im surprised at the mods allowing it ..

LostCovey wrote: »

Yes, they should change that to crassly immature, criminally-minded, reckless, immature, irresponsible shooters of unknown parentage.

Immediately.

LC

Mods don't read every word/post/thread in their forums.
We rely on posts being reported. None have from this thread.

I understand that Feargal meant it as general term and was not casting aspersions on the hunting community.

Lets move on, we're all on the side of the Golden Eagles

Durnish

Here's a serious question. Is it possible that a golden eagle roamed as far as Portnoo from Glenveagh? Our landlord is convinced he saw one, very close up. He picked it out from my bird book. The day before I had seen and heard a very high-flying bird of prey over Sheskinmore reserve.

LostCovey

Durnish wrote: »

Here's a serious question. Is it possible that a golden eagle roamed as far as Portnoo from Glenveagh? Our landlord is convinced he saw one, very close up. He picked it out from my bird book. The day before I had seen and heard a very high-flying bird of prey over Sheskinmore reserve.

Hi Durnish,

That is perfectly possible, and even likely. Golden Eagles from this Glenveagh project have roamed to Achill Island in Co. Mayo and the National Park here in Connemara.

You can report the sighting on www.goldeneagle.ie, they may even be able to confirm the identification (if the bird has a satellite tag, or if they already know it's there in some other way).

Nice one.

LostCovey

Lost Covey

snowstreams

I hope this is a mistake, but seems like star could have been poisoned in wicklow according to this report.
http://www.goldeneagle.ie/portal.php?z=234&r=2.489
Its not the usual season for poison to be left out, so maybe its a mistake

bibio

Looks like a mistake, Star's GPS alive and well in north wexofrd yesterday. I was out deerstalking in the Tomriland area when Star was there, disapointed I didnt get a sighting but great to know such a magnificnet bird is in the vicinity.:)

snowstreams

Thank god. Your right its a mistake. i checked the other reports from the last week or so, and they all said poisonings. So it was definitely a mistake.
Would love to see a white tailed eagle. Must make a trip to Kerry soon to see them.

Birdnuts

Got a horrible fright just there

snowstreams

http://www.goldeneagle.ie/news_viewnews.php?x=1&z=41&f=1&news_id=8&start=0.

I just thought Id post this up. I just saw that 3 golden eagle chicks fledged in donegal this year. Thats more than any other year. So things seem to be doing well enough up there

Feargal as Luimneach

snowstreams wrote: »

http://www.goldeneagle.ie/news_viewnews.php?x=1&z=41&f=1&news_id=8&start=0.

I just thought Id post this up. I just saw that 3 golden eagle chicks fledged in donegal this year. Thats more than any other year. So things seem to be doing well enough up there

Mega news yeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!:):):):):):):):):):):):)

trebor28

saw an ad for a show rte are doing about the re introduction of the eagle in ireland.
starts next tuesday at 7 i think.
sorry if this is old news.

recedite

I see that eagle Star has been hanging around the channel in Curracloe,Wexford Slobs the last few days.
Thats just below the Raven Forest on the sandspit, which is open to the public, if anyone is around there. Its right beside the native Irish hare and wildfowl reserves; should create a dilemma for the conservationists there!
The WT Eagle's favourite foods are fish, wildfowl, and smallish mammals;so it should be quite happy there for a while.

Birdnuts

snowstreams wrote: »

http://www.goldeneagle.ie/news_viewnews.php?x=1&z=41&f=1&news_id=8&start=0.

I just thought Id post this up. I just saw that 3 golden eagle chicks fledged in donegal this year. Thats more than any other year. So things seem to be doing well enough up there

I'm genuinely pleasantly surprised at this news - I must admit with all the bad news on the Eagle projects last spring I didn't hold out much hope for breeding this year. Still very early days though and I'm already nervous about the propects for spring 2011

Birdnuts

recedite wrote: »

I see that eagle Star has been hanging around the channel in Curracloe,Wexford Slobs the last few days.
Thats just below the Raven Forest on the sandspit, which is open to the public, if anyone is around there. Its right beside the native Irish hare and wildfowl reserves; should create a dilemma for the conservationists there!
The WT Eagle's favourite foods are fish, wildfowl, and smallish mammals;so it should be quite happy there for a while.

I don't think Male Star hanging around Curracloe is any big deal really - he's just another bird of prey, the slobs host plenty of Marsh and Hen Harriers as well as peregrines most winters.:)

coolhandspan

Birdnuts wrote: »

I don't think Male Star hanging around Curracloe is any big deal really - he's just another bird of prey, the slobs host plenty of Marsh and Hen Harriers as well as peregrines most winters.:)

yeah one fox or minkl would do far more damage than 1 eagle, look at bigger picture........... great news

LostCovey

recedite wrote: »

I see that eagle Star has been hanging around the channel in Curracloe,Wexford Slobs the last few days.
Thats just below the Raven Forest on the sandspit, which is open to the public, if anyone is around there. Its right beside the native Irish hare and wildfowl reserves; should create a dilemma for the conservationists there!
The WT Eagle's favourite foods are fish, wildfowl, and smallish mammals;so it should be quite happy there for a while.

Bit late joining this debate, but thought it was worth commenting on recedite's post, as it is a good example of a common misconception.

Conservationists do not have a dilemma when eagles kill hares & wildfowl, as this is what eagles do (or put another way, being killed by natural predation is what hares & wildfowl do).

Most conservationists do not have a huge problem with people taking a sustainable harvest of wildlife either - I do not see any campaign to stop duck or deer shooting.

Conservation refers to conserving, and what is being conserved is the web of interactions in the ecosystem.

The media miscommunicate this all the time, conveying the notion that conservationists are hysterical protectors of obscure little snails or slugs. This suits some agendas, like Bertie when he was in full hard-hat-and-silver-sodturning-spade mode. You can cheaply slag off these obsessive geeks who want to mind snails.

What is being (deliberately in some cases) missed is that the reason conservationists get worked up about these species is that they are characteristic of a unique ecosystem, or high water quality, or whatever. They are the miner's canary for OUR environment as well as their own.

And in the case of the eagles, this has been beautifully illustrated by the poisonings, which although not targeted at the eagles, they showed that chemical-laced meat was lying above ground on some Irish farms in a way we never realised.

These species are worth a lot more than their individual value.

LostCovey

whyulittle

ooh ooh ooh, WTE Star is in my area (ish) at the minute. Must keep an eye on the fixes over the next few days.

Looking at the banner on this page, they really are a fabulous looking bird when mature.

Connacht

I see the Golden Eagle Trust now has a Facebook page.
Hopefully, they'll consider making public more location info than the official website does, e.g. in a time-delayed fashion of maybe 1 week to protect the birds.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Golden-Eagle-Trust/144404808950774?v=wall
There's a great video of two WTSEs from Dec.

bobbytwo

I spotted a white tailed sea eagle on the river Lee in Cork over Christmas. The guy from the trust came to check it out and verify it. They really appreciate any sightings and their website is great to keep up to date with the release progams for thr golden eagles, red kites and white tail sea eagles. www.goldeneagle.ie

They all seem to travel huge distances if they want...one white tail was released in kerry and flew up north and across to scotland and back!

Ditch

Alright; Looking for a break from talking my head off about bleedin' nest boxes ....

Just some randomish thoughts / comments to throw into the mix:

I've travelled to Scotland to view Golden and White Tailed Sea Eagles. Put simply; If ye look up in the sky and see a large, brownish sort of bird of prey soaring above ye? It's 99% certainly a Buzzard. K?

But, if ye look up and see this Thing that makes ye start swearing and jibbering. Something So F**king Huge ye can barely comprehend it. Something equating with a Flying Bus. Then that'll be an Eagle

I was in Norfolk, Feb' 2000, I think it was. Juvenile WTSE came over a line of fir trees about fifty yards from where I was stood. It bloody well frightened me! :eek: So incredibly huge, I thought it might come and get me!

As for who's shooting and poisoning them? " Lost Covey " certainly highlighted one bunch of suspects, above. Young bucks out to 'prove their manhood' by blowing away the biggest thing they can find.

Every youngster who shoots a rabbit with an air rifle seems to dream of the day he can knock over a fox with a centrefire. If we had wolves? They'd be on every idiots list, wouldn't they? Because they're bloody great things.

To my mind though? It's a bit more 'simple' and 'obvious' than random dick heads taking pot shots. And what about the poison?

Chicken farmers despise mink and foxes. Cattle farmers? I know enough of them ~ never yet met one who reckons badgers are the business. Getting my drift ....?

No matter what the vastest majority of right thinking people feel about these iconic birds; All it takes is some bloody caveman who figures his stock will be decimated and he'll starve to death, if he allows these 'Angels of Death' to blot the air space over His little piece of the countryside.

I wish the reintroductions all the well in the world. But, by christ; They're onto an uphill struggle