UKC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-36038262

spent the second half of his life alone too.

I always wondered, they reintroduced the white tailed eagles to Scotland- did they ever look at introducing some more golden eagles to the lakes to keep this one company...?

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/englands-only-golden-eagle-why-is-...

Unfortunately the Lakes isn't really golden eagle territory, it's not much more than a hilly sheep farm managed for the NFU and the farmers they represent. Maybe one day things will change with how we manage our landscapes, and the eagles in southern Scotland will recolonise England.

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:



Did you see the one on 'Into the Wild' where Gordon Buchanan was showing assorted local wildlife to Alastair Campbell? Pretty impressive. (the eagle that is - AC was anything but!)

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

Poor thing, I saw it last year and it was a truly magnificent creature.

In reply to Baron Weasel:


Fair comment, but can we have our crag back now ?

In reply to RyanOsborne:

thanks for the link, answers my question,

cheers
gregor

In reply to Baron Weasel:


To be honest, it must have been lonely.
Saw one of the pair nearly every time I walked the High Street/Kidsty area for the last 25yrs and have fond memories of seeing them.
I agree with the poster above in that the Lakes isn't a great place for reintroduction/settlement . I often wonder what they ate given the lack of hare on the hills. Sheep carrion?

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

Any chance that he may have emigrated to Scotland in search of a mate?

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

He is/was not the only lonely bird in the UK. Between 1972 and 1996 there was a Black Browed Albatross lived amongst a gannet colony on Hermaness, in the Shetland Isles. For the most part these birds only live in the southern hemishere. This one was well known to birders who christened it Albert.

As regard the Golden Eagle in the lakes I believe the RSPB and probably other organisations came to the conclusion the best hope of colonisation was that the eagle would eventually meet one of the other southern Scotland birds when they wander south. The idea of releasing one or more young birds would probably not work as these birds don't have or keep to a 'home range', when they are younger so any introduced ones would simply wander off in search of a home territory.

In reply to Trangia:

Indeed, on a good soaring day with following wind he could easily have crossed the Esk.

In reply to Dave Perry:

The Hermaness albatross - that was an impressive bird - you'd look out at all the thousands of gannets, skuas and what have yous, and then you'd see this huge white Lancaster bomber cruising through them all, dwarfing everything else.

Fabulous place - very fond memories of sitting on the grass there with a puffin standing on my ankles looking at me.

In reply to nniff:

Oh you lucky bugger! I worked up there when it was there, but I never saw it!

In reply to Dave Perry:

Wasn't there a short period when there were two snowy owls in Scotland, but far apart (Cairngorms & Shetland ?) and they never met? (vague memory, may have details wrong)

In reply to Doug:

sounds familiar, and of course Shetland had an albatross (Albert Ross!) who lived in a gannet colony with no hope of ever meeting another one.

Was lucky to see eagles in Scotland earlier this year. Once you've seen one, you're never going to wonder if that buzzard might be an eagle ever again!

In reply to Doug:

I'm not too sure about that but there were two snowy owls in on Fetlar in Shetland during the 1960's & early 1970's and they bred several times. The odd bird does turn up from time to time in Shetland, Scotland and NI, but I don't think they've stayed long and not bred.

Then there's Martha. The last of many millions of Passenger Pidgeons she lived alone for several years until she died in 1914 in Cincinnati Zoo.

In reply to Dave Perry:
is the lone male snowy owl still hanging out at Mangertsa on Lewis? A great sight when I was last there.

In reply to Robert Durran:

No idea.