South of Scotland golden eagle population reaches new heights

The number of golden eagles in southern Scotland has hit its highest recorded level since the early 19th Century.

There are now estimated to be more than 30 birds in an area where there were fewer than five breeding pairs just four years ago.

The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP) has been relocating birds to the region since 2018.

It started bringing chicks from the Highlands but has now begun introducing older birds.

It is the first project in the UK to move golden eagles aged between six months and three years from one area to another.

The latest additions are seven birds caught in the Outer Hebrides and then transported and released in the south of the country.

The number of golden eagles recorded in southern Scotland is at its highest level since the early 19th Century

The islands were selected as they have one of the highest densities of the bird in Europe.

The operation - carried out under licence from NatureScot - saw the golden eagles released almost immediately on arrival at a secret location in the Southern Uplands.

They will now be monitored to see if they settle and breed in the area.

If successful, it could be used to support other raptor conservation projects.

The SSGEP brought in its first young birds to the Moffat Hills in 2018.

Since then it has successfully released 12 young eagles collected as chicks from nests in the Highlands and Islands.

If successful, the project's work could be used to help other raptor conservation projects

Project manager Dr Cat Barlow said the new research into carefully transporting older birds was a "significant boost" to allowing them to thrive in southern Scotland.

"Though it is still early days, this is the first in the UK to trial this approach as part of raptor reinforcement," she said.

"This could be a ground-breaking technique for the global conservation management of golden eagles and other raptors.

"We will continue to monitor these birds to see if they settle, thrive and breed in the south of Scotland, which will be the real measure of success."

Golden eagles have become a much more familiar sight in the skies over southern Scotland

Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said the success of the project could be traced back to 2007 when golden eagles faced potential extinction in the area.

"Scotland was one of the first countries to recognise the twin crises of nature loss and climate change, and this project shows what we can achieve with determined efforts to restore our lost biodiversity," she said.

Francesca Osowska, NatureScot's chief executive, said the project had achieved "so much" in a few years which was "wonderful to see".

Timeline: Golden eagle's south of Scotland revival

• August 2015 - BBC Scotland learns the first releases of golden eagle chicks from the Highlands could take place as early as the following year

• July 2016 - The project secures more than £1m from the Heritage Lottery Fund

• August 2018 - The first chicks from the Highlands are released in southern Scotland more than a decade after the idea was first hatched

• August 2019 - The project suffers a setback after one bird attacks another and apparently causes its death

• August 2021 - Numbers surge after eight more chicks are successfully introduced to the area