GOOD AS GOLD

The golden eagle has long been in decline in the UK. A new project is helping this magnificent raptor to spread its wings once again.

- GORDON BUCHANAN

IT WAS A BLUE-SKY day on the west coast of Scotland, as I stood at the side of a familiar track, gazing across a lonely stretch of moorland overlooked by a domed mountain with a rocky escarpment on its southern slope. I had travelled along this track countless times over the years, regularly informing my companions that this is Eagle Country.

Little did I know on previous visits how true that statement was. As I discovered on that summer’s afternoon, on a high ledge on the bouldery, craggy face of the escarpment was an eagle’s nest. I’ve visited different eyries many times over the years, and the moment always sweeps me away: my eyes strain through binoculars to catch a glimpse of the chicks; my neck cranes in all directions in the hope of an early view of an adult bird returning with prey.

As caught up in the scene as I was, the question that crossed my mind on this occasion was: just how long has this ledge been used? It will almost certainly have provided a home not just for this pair, but for countless eagles before them. Despite the changes that have and continue to take place in the world, what golden eagles need and like remains unchanged, particularly when it comes to the best spot to lay their precious eggs and raise their young.

The close-to-fledging chick that stared down at me that day has long since flown, but the eyrie is still there, and has been for a long time. For not just hundreds, but for thousands of years an eagle pair with a territory in this glen may well have chosen this particular ledge. In fact, it’s not too much of a stretch to assume that even 14,000 years ago, when the ice sheets had completedtheir work of moulding the Scottish landscape we see today, this rocky cliff-face would have been a top choice for these epic birds of prey.