Four white-tailed Sea Eagle chicks were released back into the wild this week at Killarney National Park in Co Kerry.
The four are the first of 27 sent from Norway which will be released in various locations around the Irish coast in coming weeks as part of a continuing National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) programme.
Tánaiste Michéal Martin and Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan witnessed the release.
Tánaiste Michéal Martin TD, along with Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan TD, with Divisional Manager National Parks and WIldlife Service (NPWS) Eamonn Meskell, today released four White-tailed eagle chicks back into the wild at Killarney National Park. The chicks are the first of twenty-seven to be released in various locations around the country over the coming weeks, as part of an ongoing NPWS programme to reintroduce this once extinct species back to Ireland
White-tailed eagles feed on a wide variety of prey, including fish, waterbirds and carrion. They settle on territories around the coast and large freshwater lakes to breed.
White-tailed eagles, which were hunted to extinction in Ireland in the 19th century, are a protected species under the Wildlife Act.
“It is a remarkable experience to witness these majestic birds in their natural habitat here at Killarney national park,”Martin said.
“I’ve been following this reintroduction programme with real interest since the first chicks were released here at the park in 2007,”he said.
“The white-tailed eagle is an important part of our biodiversity, but also our heritage. Their reappearance in our skies is a source of wonder and interest for local and international visitors to Killarney national park, he said, paying tribute to NPWS staff, landowners and international partners from Norway.
A newly fledged Juvenile White Tailed Eagle, finding 'his wings' on Lough Lein, Killarney National Park. The resident Adult White Tailed Eagle pair breed successfully again this year since becoming adults. Photo: Valerie O'Sullivan
“ This is the second phase of this reintroduction project, and we now have evidence of white-tailed eagles breeding in counties further afield - from the south of the island in Cork right up to Donegal,” Noonan said.
“This year, in Killarney National Park, two chicks have successfully fledged for the fourth year in a row,”he noted.
All of the chicks are fitted with satellite tags so that their movements can be tracked as they disperse and establish in new areas. The chicks are vulnerable to external factors such as adverse weather conditions, avian influenza and disease, and illegal poisonings.
