23 iconic White-tailed Eagles arrived in Kerry Airport on Friday as part of a long-term wildlife reintroduction project that is being led by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

A QUICK PEEK: Eamonn Meskall Regional Manager National Parks and Wildlife Service showing Peter Jones a quick peak of a White-tailed Eagle chick that arrived in Kerry Airport on Friday. Photo: Valerie O'Sullivan

PRECIOUS CARGO: Members of the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Dept of Agriculture checking the 23 White-tailed Eagle chicks that arrived in Kerry Airport on Friday. Photo: Valerie O'Sullivan

The Eagle chicks were collected this month from nests in west-central Norway and transported by plane to Kerry, and will be reintroduced to the wild after six to eight weeks in purpose built flight cages where they will be cared for and monitored by NPWS staff, before being released at four Munster sites in August.

This significant biodiversity initiative is part of a long-term scientific collaboration to restore a native and once-extinct bird to Irish skies and will see the release this year of the young eagles at four sites across Munster, including Killarney National Park, along the River Shannon, the lower Shannon estuary, and a site in Waterford.

As they mature, these chicks will join and strengthen the small Irish breeding population that has become established since the reintroduction programme began in 2007.

EXCITING

“This is an incredibly exciting and technically complex project whose success depends on the collaboration of many groups, including our NPWS teams, local farmers, conservationists and communities, the Norwegian Authorities and many other partners in Norway," Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, said.

"Their collective efforts over many years have brought us to this point. I’d like to pay tribute to all involved and acknowledge their commitment to making this project a success, now and in the years to come. White-tailed eagles are magnificent birds and, as top predators, they also play a key role in the functioning of ecosystems. Having been driven to extinction in the 19th Century as a result of human actions, this reintroduction project is delivering real impact for the species. Despite the many challenges that remain, 2021 will mark the rare success of three Irish-born chicks fledge from a single nest on Lough Derg. I was privileged to release six of these stunning creatures last year in Kerry and I can honestly say that watching them soar through the skies on their first Irish flight is a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I’d like everyone in Ireland to have the opportunity to observe this once-extinct species in its natural habitat.”

SUCCESS

Last year 10 eagles were released along the River Shannon. Nine survived their first year, and currently they are dispersed at a number of locations in Ireland, and one is in Scotland. Previously, one hundred young White-tailed Eagles were released in Killarney National Park between 2007 and 2011. Birds from these releases subsequently dispersed widely throughout Ireland with first breeding in 2012 on Lough Derg, Co. Clare.

Since then a small breeding population of eight to 10 pairs have successfully fledged over 30 chicks, with an additional five chicks likely to fledge into the wild in Munster in the next few weeks. Indeed, this year one nesting pair on Lough Derg has produced three chicks, which are due to fledge shortly. This is uncommon, even in the very extensive wild populations in Norway.

VULNERABLE

Some Irish-bred eagles are now reaching maturity and starting to breed in the wild themselves. However, a scientific review of the reintroduction project indicated the small population is still vulnerable to mortality factors such as illegal poisoning. The breeding population was also negatively impacted by Avian Influenza in 2018 and storm Hannah in 2019, and indeed, adverse weather this year when pairs were on the nest. Thus, this supplementary release is required to bolster the existing population.

Young eagles have been collected under licence in June 2021 by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and co-workers. The birds will be tagged, including with satellite tags, before release to allow the project to monitor their progress and their integration into the existing Irish breeding population.