Scotland plans for sea eagle chicks arrival
Sea eagles have been reintroduced in Scotland
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Tuesday, 17, Jun 2008 11:21
Conservationists and politicians in Scotland are planning for the arrival of sea eagle chicks from Norway later this week.
Sea eagles once thrived in Scotland but the bird of prey was persecuted to extinction in Victorian times.
Following their reintroduction in the west of Scotland a small group of birds was successfully introduced to the east coast in the 1980s.
On Friday the next batch of sea eagles will arrive from Norway under the East of Scotland Sea Eagle reintroduction programme.
This project will run for the next four years and will see up to 20 chicks being brought to Scotland each year.
Environment minister Michael Russell saw the sea eagle chicks during a visit to Norway, accompanied by representatives from the RSPB and Scottish Natural Heritage.
"Reports that [sea eagles] are thriving in the east is excellent news for Scotland's biodiversity," he said.
"The group of eaglets I met are still relatively small but will quickly grow into huge birds - even bigger than a golden eagle.
"They will bolster the eastern population and further aid our drive to ensure that the sight of a sea eagle soaring over our woods and waterways becomes an increasingly common sight."