Sea eagle on Isle of May, Scotland

This video is about White-Tailed Sea Eagles

Sea eagle turns up on the Isle of May

August 2008. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) staff on the Isle of May recently woke up to find an unusual visitor on the island. A sea eagle, recently released as part of the east coast reintroduction project in Fife, had decided to take a trip to the island reserve in the Forth.

Isle of May

The Isle of May National Nature Reserve is used to visitors, receiving over 7000 human visitors each year and having over 200,000 birds each season. Out of the ordinary birds turn up from time to time as the island is an ideal safe resting point for travelling birds. Two years ago saw a flurry of excitement among bird watchers as a rare calandra lark arrived.

More about the Isle of May and how to visit: here.

The May is most famous for its seabirds which routinely include shags [see also here], puffins, terns, guillemots, razorbills, eider ducks, gulls, kittiwakes and fulmars but the sea eagle is a first for excited SNH staff.

Tabatha Lamont, SNH’s assistant reserve officer said: “As many people know the Isle of May is a bird paradise with huge populations of some of our most loved seabirds, like the puffin, in summer. What people might not know is that, because of where the island is placed at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, our reserve is often visited by unusual birds. That said a sea eagle does top the list of visitors with its huge wingspan.

East Scotland Sea Eagles

The East Scotland Sea Eagle (ESSE) project is a partnership between Scottish Natural Heritage, RSPB Scotland and Forestry Commission Scotland, to reintroduce sea eagles to eastern Scotland as part of Scotland’s Species Action Framework. Following successful reintroductions to the west coast of Scotland since the 1970’s, the hope now is that this project can help restore sea eagles to their former range in the east.