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The scenery of Skye is unrivalled in the UK. Classic mountain and seascapes provide the backcloth for soaring Eagles. For those patient enough to sit and watch on still, sunny days, it may be possible to watch several pairs of Golden Eagles interact at the margins of their territories. Now, it might also be possible to observe White-tailed Eagles in the same thermals
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The history of both species on the island, like elsewhere in the Highlands, is a sad reflection on the intolerance of man, of a culture which encouraged death and destruction to all 'hawks', carried on the back of the increasing interests in fieldsports and the growth of private estates during the Victorian era. It has taken over a century to reverse some of the imbalances created at the time and although vestiges of the ignorance, killing culture, and illegal persecution remain, we are fortunate that on the Island of Skye, few sporting estates remain, and the bad practices associated with them have largely disappeared. Unfortunately however, egg collecting, a real threat in Victorian times, remains a genuine problem. A salutary reminder of why we should all be extremely discreet about nest site locations so that information does not fall into the wrong hands .
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 Reading historical accounts of the Golden Eagle on Skye is pretty depressing and that it survived as a breeding resident is nothing short of miraculous. Even when Baxter & Rintoul wrote the 'Birds of Scotland' 50 years ago it was said 'never to have been an abundant bird on Skye'. Luckily the situation has improved and there is now a healthy population which for the last 20 years has been closely monitored by Ken Crane and Kate Nellist. Their studies have found that the population is fairly stable and that annual breeding success is around .50 young per breeding pair, which gives an indication of the relatively low breeding success of the species. A factor in this success is the level of human disturbance to nest sites, and it is absolutely critical to avoid any disturbance during the breeding season which lasts from March through until August. Ken and Kate have written a fascinating account of their work on Skye, entitled “Island Eagles” which is available from local bookshops.
One of the problems in breeding success for Golden Eagles is the availability of prey. Though on occasions twins may be hatched, because of sibling competition for food, the chances of both young birds surviving is very low. Consequently a collaborative project commenced in 2000 between Scotland and Ireland, 'The Irish Golden Eagle Reintroduction Project' which removes a small number of these surplus but at risk birds from their Scottish eyries, for eventual release in the wild to re-establish a breeding population in the mountains of the west of Ireland. The project is co-ordinated by Scottish Natural Heritage. There are currently a number of Eagles participating in this project, from all accounts doing well, a fine example of conservation collaboration along the celtic fringes.
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 Writing in the middle of the 19 th century, Gray said 'The Isle of Skye may be said to be the headquarters of this conspicuous Eagle on the west of Scotland, the entire coastline of that magnificent country offering many attractions to a bird of its habits - nearly all the bold headlands of Skye are frequented by at least one pair.' By the beginning of the 20 th century the situation had changed completely. Not only were the birds shot and poisoned, but those which did manage to breed were receiving the unrelenting attention of egg collectors. They last bred in Skye, and for that matter the whole of Scotland in 1916 and certainly by 1930 were thought to be extinct
Though a few birds were seen in subsequent years, probably wanderers from Scandinavia, a reintroduction programme commenced in 1968 in Fair Isle. Following some initial difficulties the project was resumed on Rum in 1975, and it was not surprising that within a few years wandering birds found their way to Skye. Two phases of birds have been introduced, mostly from Norway, and a population of over 20 pairs has now been established throughout Scotland. The birds have also returned to breed on Skye and at the Aros Centre near Portree the RSPB have set up a cctv link to a nest site, where it is possible to observe adults and young. Population expansion has been slower than anticipated, but in the last few years in excess of 12 young have fledged each year. The project is managed by SNH and RSPB, and involves attaching colour wing tags to birds. Sightings of these birds can be extremely helpful and examples of the tags are shown below. We are happy to pass on sightings of these birds to the RSPB who are monitoring the movements of marked birds.
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