Re-introduction of the white-tailed sea eagle to County Kerry, Republic of Ireland

Summary

The white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) had been extinct in Ireland since around 1910 after historically breeding along the west coast. The Golden Eagle Trust, Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service, and Norway's Prosject Havørn launched a re-introduction beginning with groundwork in 2005, modeled on a 30-year successful Scottish re-introduction of the same species. In June 2007, 15 birds were collected under license from nests in west central Norway, following extensive evidence from a 2,500-pair Norwegian population showing no confirmed lamb predation in 30 years, a key concern for County Kerry's hill sheep farmers. The birds were flown to Killarney National Park, Ireland's largest national park at 10,289 hectares and a historic sea eagle breeding site, held in isolated cages for two months, then fitted with radio transmitters and wing tags before release in August 2007. Since release, birds have dispersed up to 70 kilometres but mostly stayed within 10 kilometres of the site, feeding almost entirely on carrion; one bird died in November 2007 of undetermined causes. A further 20 birds were planned for release annually from 2008 to 2011, targeting first breeding attempts by 2012 to 2013 and 5 to 10 breeding pairs by 2020. Major difficulties included overcoming farmer concerns about livestock predation and securing adequate funding. The project rated itself Partially Successful, noting it is too early in this first year to determine long-term outcomes, though survivorship to date has been good and prospects are believed favourable.