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White-tailed Eagles do eat dead lambs and they probably eat a few live ones too – particularly sickly ones. It;s also true that White -tailed Eagles are likely to reduce Golden Eagle numbers in coastal areas. However, this is a magnificent native bird whose contribution to the economy of the West of Scotland is large.
The Scottish Farmer is running an online ‘question of the week‘ about whether ‘something should be done’ about eagles. You might want to have your say.
White-tailed Eagles are apparently ‘aliens’ thus demonstrating the usual grasp of ecology of the more vociferous elements of the farming community. These are the stewards of the Scottish countryside?
Raising the spectre of attacks on babies is ridiculous. Scottish Farmer writes ‘Surely we don’t have to wait until a small child is attacked before the government intervenes’ but I liked the comment on Twitter yesterday evening, by @jezrobson, saying ‘I’ll do them a deal. Let’s wait until one does take a child and then I’ll cull them myself.’.
It’s a bit of nonsense (I hope) – but it comes from the NFUS, Just another example of how England and Scotland have strong links – in both countries some of their farmers are enemies of wildlife.
If you’d like to be richly rewarded for liking White-tailed Eagles then click here.
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They’ve tried to frighten us with the ‘what if…small child’ story line before and whilst this would be tragic, I suspect it’s highly unlikely.
Sea Eagles that we have seen on Mull give everyone a big wow factor thrill that only those who are there or have had a similar experience understand.I understand that most of their diet except when feeding young is carrion and certainly any carcase is a good place to see them.They seem a much less aggressive nature than Golden Eagles and so probably less of a threat to livestock,for instance there are videos of Golden Eagles attacking Deer and Goats something I could not imagine Sea Eagles doing.
When on Mull we have seen the S E and Sheep within a metre or two of each other being inquisitive and the Sheep show no fear whatsoever.
Raising the spectre of attacks on babies may be ridiculous, but I’m more concerned about the spectre of further attacks on the Scottish clergy – http://tinyurl.com/nbkk7ah – they simply have no sense of reverence……….
Keith – some Scottish farmers seem to have little reverence, and not much affection, or even respect for the nature around them.
PS ‘may’ be ridiculous? Is ridiculous!
Perhaps like the eagle involved, those Scottish farmers are young and naive too?
Anyway, this is what we get for reintroducing marauding Viking stock into the genteel Perthshire countryside. We know what they did to the monasteries and churches last time round, just ask Neil Oliver. Meanwhile it appears that there are even more polls around on this subject – http://tinyurl.com/plcq4xk
Still, if an eagle is prepared to attack an adult…….
I read what Alasdair Fletcher said and would suggest that ‘privately’ most SNH staff would say this sort of nonsense does neither the NFUS or the farming community any good; the NFUS leading the mob with pitchforks and burning torches. Any witches needing burned? They set themselves up for ridicule, and that is how decision makers should treat them.
Given that there is a consultation on (more) support payments for farmers in sea-eagle areas, this has the look of a hand reaching even deeper into the taxpayer’s pocket.
Like Bimbling, I also wondered what on earth NFUS were thinking. This might go down well at the local branch meeting, but does NFUS pause to think what the wider public – their customers – might make of this?
Living in a small country with over 200 pairs of white-tailed eagles, I can assure you all that there have been no attacks on babies ever. Our white-tailed eagles catch coots, ducks, cormorants and fish (pike and carassius). It would be really strange if anyone would truly think that this farmer is credible or sane.
I have little doubt that WTE’s do predate on lambs, even healthy lambs and no doubt some WTE’s have more of an appetite for lamb than others, but so what ?
This is a classic example of certain sections of the farming community disregarding the economic importance of other types of rural business – nature tourism in this case. I read that the estimated value of nature tourism to the Scottish economy is over £1.4 billion, I would think a fair proportion of the revenue ends up in Argyll.
I wouldn’t have an issue with compensating farmers for legitimate losses (that could be proven) but a cull – I assume that’s what they mean by ‘something should be done’ – is breathtaking in both its arrogance and stupidity.
Re.Tourism. We go to Mull on a fairly regular basis, (nearly every year) and we go because of the wildlife.
We buy fuel on the island (not cheap), we pay for a cottage or caravan. We buy food, go on boat trips, and of course we go to see the brilliant Eagle project.
As you mention this is all income for the island, and frankly I for one do not begrudge the eagles a sick or dead lamb.
I say that as a retired shepherd.
Yes there will be some losses, but it is nearly always the sick lamb, the one that died in the night, etc. As a shepherd I knew my flock, and every loss is regrettable, but I knew there would always be losses, and if it helps eagles rather than having to dig a hole, good for them!
Mark W – thank you. Very useful comment.
I have been to Mull once – simply for its wildlife (especially WTEs). I spent several lambs worth in the local community.
If Scottish farmers can’t live with sea eagles then I can’t buy Scottish lamb.
One thing that seems to be missing from media dialogue is that there are certain farmers who are benefiting from this “declared scourge”!! Subsidies are being paid to certain farmers as a result of claimed effects and the greater the clamour, whether backed by empirical evidence or not, the more pressure emerges that puts Government into the invidious position of having to offset the declared “dreadful effects” in the process. I suspect that, in certain quarters , there is more than a measure of absolute hypocrisy creeping in too. Tourism income into the communities is willingly accepted, such as holiday cottage lettings , arising one suspects, as a result of previously supported initiatives and diversification grants.
Sacrificial lambs conveniently involved in the cause of financial benefit one might conclude ! However, it’s not everyone in these rural communities who hold blinkered views, and not all farmers either, just those with a membership of the usual bleating minority!
Aren’t brown hares controlled on shooting estates because of the fear that they carry disease? (Not so golden eagles of course, which are allowed to fly freely wherever they will.)
Alf – mostly Mountain Hares, I think – but that doesn’t make it better.
As it is the ambition of every sheep to die unexpectedly for no apparent reason there will always be a supply of carcases, so carry on.
Lets face it this all to up the anti and get bigger management fees(think that is the peculiar name given to farmers who may be at risk of lambs being taken)
From my observation and talking to people who are well informed I doubt if S E hardly take any live lambs,hill sheep are not that productive and a hill ewe would be a strong adversary if she only had one lamb.
Humans need not worry on Mull as locals rely on repeat visits to their accommodation and have always managed to grab the feet of anyone being taken by a S E and saved them.Yellow tag black spot is the most dangerous one.
Filbert, you’ve got it ! Ever since family holidays in the Highlands in my childhood I’ve been amazed at sheep’s determination to die – as I’m sure Mark would agree from his time as a shepherd ! the very best was the sheep that, on an 800 acre island, managed to die breaking through the 1 square foot wooden cover over the spring that supplied our water – as we discovered when we noticed the water tasted a bit funny. Very good for the immune system if you survive !
More seriously, conventional agriculture would never actually include the sort of sheep farming that went on under the disastrous headage payments – if you are farming for lamb production, you bring ewes in for lambing and aim for the best possible lambing percentage (no of lambs per ewe) and body weight, and therefore survival. The argument over eagles, foxes and now White tailed eagles has all been around ‘viability’ – even if the lamb was taken live, would it have survived anyway ?
“no of lambs per ewe”
I used to think that but was pulled up by a farmer Uwchmynydd where an eponymous Lleyn ewe had produced heptuplets and he was cussing the fact that Mrs Lleyn had five more lambs than she had teats.
Lambing percentage: a figure manipulated to make you sound good!
It is lambs/ewe, but there are many ways to do the calculation. You should count the ewes that went to the ram, and lambs sold – but you might count ewes that actually lamb and lambs born alive! This will leave out ewes dying, lambs dying after birth etc. There are many ways between these extremes, so when someone mentions their lambing percentage, don’t forget the salt.
One should also take into account lambing in the hills, where to be honest one aims for 1 lamb/ewe, down to lowland more productive land with indoor lambing, when 2 lambs/ewe is the aim.
Some extras can be useful to foster onto ewes that lose a lamb, but that is the basic idea!
Mark A, thanks for the farming blog;-)
Its interesting to note some farmers are expressing sympathy for the plight of the golden eagle, whereby they suggest that the sea eagle is driving their numbers down. In other areas they are laying out poison for them to dine on.
Yet again the farming community is trying to frighten the populous with fear of eagle attacks etc The farmers should be grateful of the eagles disposing of lamb carcasses which prevents disease etc It also proves the person who wrote this inflammatory article doesn’t know about sea eagle ecology one they are not aliens they were persecuted to extinction and these birds are reintroductions. With respect to prey items they prefer fish and carrion i.e. dead things as opposed to living organisms so would only take carrion and moribund lambs i.e. ones that will not survive. I disagree with the the supposition that SNH have got it wrong with the reintroduction of sea eagles Their current habitat is perfect for them and they are part of British/Scottish avifauna. Farmers make great noise that they are guardians of the British Countryside I wish they would live up to this tag and consider all creatures
If the farmers are concerned that w-t eagles are usurping the more predatory golden eagles, which had colonised vacant haliaeetus territories prior to the reintroduction, then how much do the farmers owe snh for reducing comparative levels of lamb predation?
If White Tailed Eagles taking a few children is all Scottish farmers have to worry about then they should count themselves lucky and spare a thought for their poor English counterparts who have to contend with floods caused by homosexuals.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25802437
What is the world coming to ?!
Think in most areas where S Es are the farmers benefit as they do not have costly disposal of fallen stock,seems all sheep are left for Eagles to clear up.
Are there stats available of the number of children killed in a year on scottish farms and by scottish farmers vehicles? I would lay odds over a ten year period scottish farmers kill more children than scottish white tailed eagles.
It would appear that it is, in fact, time that something was done about the poor journalistic standards of the staff on the “Scottish Farmer”. They could at least get somebody who knows what they are talking about to write their headlines.
How many farms in WTE zones benefit from the tourist B&B trade?
The result of the online poll was published in today’s ‘Scottish Farmer’: 92% of respondents believed that the Scottish sea eagle population should not be controlled.
An editor’s note underneath said: “This poll is intended to gauge the farming industry’s views on topical matters. Market intelligence, coupled with this poll’s exceptionally high response, leads us to believe that the vast majority of responses to this particular poll have come from outwith the farming community”