All 15 of the birds were taken as chicks from nests in Norway, and were raised with the intention of re-introducing them into the wild. This release follows on from last years successful release program, and it is hoped that some of the new birds will meet up with last years releases, some of which travelled as far as the Argyll islands, and the island of Mull. Up to 20 new birds a year will be released for the next 3 years.

This really is fantastic news for the survival for these iconic birds (affectionately known as “flying barn doors”). Having been one of a very few privileged people to handle one of these birds I was absolutely amazed at the size of the juvenile that I handled (with a wingspan approaching 6 feet) and certainly knew what was going on when it clocked me on the back of the head with its wing! Handling one of these birds is one thing, but I’d love to see one of these birds in the wild, so I’ll be watching with interest for any more news from the East Scotland Sea Eagles project.

Great news indeed, and another success story for the continuing work of the RSPB with birds of prey.

I really can’t fathom the mentality of someone who would carry out one of these attacks. As someone who, over the past 2 years, has had a couple of very close encounters with various birds of prey I have nothing but total respect for these birds and always feel incredibly privileged to handle or photograph them at very close quarters (check out the Silverband set in my flickr site over on my blogroll -> to see just how close). When I was younger there seemed to be a “craze” for stealing and trading the eggs of protected bird species, but given that you don’t hear so much about this any more, I’d thought that attacks of this sort were becoming a thing of the past. However with the release of these figures you have to guess that this isn’t the case. It really does sadden me that there are people that would purposely try and harm these magnificent birds and hopefully with the current trend of encouraging children to appreciate the nature around them, maybe the next generation will be less destructive towards our endangered species….

Picture the scene…. Last year I reached the monumental milestone of my 30th birthday. My wife decided that this was a suitable time for a bigger than normal birthday present. And so she bought me one. I was presented with a little voucher that explained what would happen, where I needed to be and when. And my excitement started to build. So the day finally arrives last weekend and we head off into the wilds of Cheshire, to the Cheshire Waterlife Centre in fact. And this is where the tale becomes a little clearer, for Cheshire Waterlife is the home of the largest falconry display team in the country. And that was what I was doing for the day, flying birds of prey. And I can tell you what a stunning day it was too.

Being able to get so close to protected species (all of Britain’s Raptors and owls are now protected) such as the Harris Hawk, Bengali Eagle Owl, and even being able to hold a baby (with a 7 foot wingspan) White Tailed Sea Eagle is an experience I will never forget. If you are fascinated by these birds as I am then it is well worth the money to go up there for the day. The morning was arena flying with 6 birds of prey. Even rain can’t take the edge off this experience as the birds swoop down low and deftly land on your glove to eat the food that you have for them.

The afternoon (if you’re doing the full day activity that I did) was then spent with 3 Harris Hawks out in the local forest with them flying off to hunt, as they would do if they were living in the wild. Unfortunately due to the rain there was nothing around for them to hunt, and so when these birds get fed up of flying you have to give them a free ride and carry them back to the vans. My bird for this journey was Jeff, a young male Harris Hawk who sat quite happily and enjoyed watching the scenery move past as he hitched a lift.

All in all a stunning day, and something I’d love to do again, and again, and again… Now if only I have somewhere to keep one!!