Back with a bang

The Tweed Valley is renowned for the ospreys that arrive here to breed each summer but there’s now a bigger – and year-round – bird in town: golden eagles!

A golden eagle soars over the south of Scotland hills, with satellite tag clearly visible

Scan the skies over the Tweed Valley this autumn and there’s every chance of seeing something rather special – all thanks to the ongoing efforts of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project. For the past four years, the project team has been working to reinforce the small, isolated and vulnerable populations of golden eagles throughout the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway.

Today, the birds are more readily associated with remote parts of the Highlands and Islands, but the south of Scotland also once had healthy populations of these apex predators. Sadly, however, human activity, persecution and changes in land use have all impacted numbers, with only a handful of breeding pairs remaining in the south when the project first began.

The team identified that the best way to enhance this fragmented population was by relocating a supply of young birds to the area over a period of five years. Through these translocations, new individuals would then gradually assimilate into the resident breeding population.

Using tried and tested methods for rear and release of the young eagles, work began on the construction of custom-built aviaries at a confidential location in the Southern Uplands.

Two of the recently-released young eagles

The first three eaglets – each collected aged 6-8 weeks from nest sites with twins in the Highlands and Islands – arrived in early summer 2018 for a brief stay before being released into the Moffat Hills.

After the initial birds were released, there followed a huge amount of public engagement involving schools, local communities and landowners as the project team spread the message about the importance of having healthy populations of golden eagles back in the south of Scotland – not least for tourism and the green economy.

Although the pandemic slowed the translocation of further birds, the project team has more than caught up. From 2018 to 2021, the team successfully translocated a dozen golden eagle juveniles. All have settled well in their new homes, with frequent sightings of interactions including with other native eagles.

In September 2021, the project worked with Visit Moffat in Dumfries & Galloway to host the UK’s first golden eagle festival to celebrate the town becoming the country’s first official Eagle Town.

A pair of young golden eagles seen through the spyhole of their temporary aviary before release

More recently, and under special licence, the project became the first of its kind in the UK to successfully translocate free-flying young golden eagles (aged between six months and three years) to help speed up the growth of populations.

This summer alone, the team successfully transported six more birds from the Scottish Highlands. The new additions bring the total population of golden eagles in the south of Scotland to around 39 – more than tripling the population to the highest number recorded in the area for 300 years.

“As a top predator, this majestic bird of prey is fundamental to protecting our local ecosystem.”

News of the latest translocation comes as the initiative was named a finalist for this year's National Lottery Awards Project of the Year for its “amazing conservation work” – a public vote, closing 7 October, will decide the winner. The new arrivals will also be celebrated at this year’s Moffat Eagle Festival (16-18 September).

“As a top predator, this majestic bird of prey is fundamental to protecting our local ecosystem,” explains Cat Barlow, who leads the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project. “Before the project began, only three pairs were nesting in the south of Scotland. We’ve now more than tripled the population, and though all seem to have settled in the south of Scotland, some of our birds have even travelled as far south as Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, where the species has been extinct for a number of years.”

And here in the Tweed Valley, golden eagles are already being seen with increasing regularity as the translocated birds disperse and prospect for next sites – exciting times for the eagles, visitors and the wider biodiversity of the area.

Further info

The Eyrie Information Point inside the Waterwheel Tearoom on the Philiphaugh Estate near Selkirk details the importance of golden eagles to the south of Scotland. Visitors can also view video footage following the project’s successfully translocated eagles and learn about some of the other raptor species that can be seen nearby.

To vote for South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project to win the National Lottery Awards Project of the Year go to lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards, use the hashtag #NLAGoldenEagle on Twitter and Instagram, and/or visit @lotterygoodcauses on Facebook and add the hashtag to the pinned post. Be quick though – voting closes on 7 October.

For the latest project news, or to donate to the charity initiative, visit www.goldeneaglessouthofscotland.co.uk

Photo credits: John Wright; Phil Wilkinson; South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project