The Sea Eagle

I saw my first White Tailed Eagle today. The bird was soaring high above the coast just north of Kingsburgh road end and was quite unmistakable due its large size and, of course, white tail.

It would be hard to deny that the 'Sea Eagle', as the creature is commonly called, is a magnificent bird of prey. And there lies the problem for Crofters in this and other parts of Skye. There is a definite ambiguity amongst them as to the presence of such a large predator, especially when they have ewes ready to lamb and cattle just about calving. Moreover, whilst the Crofter may admire the Sea Eagle for its splendor and magnificence you get the distinct feeling that they would rather see the birds somewhere else, or not at all.

On the other hand, residents involved in tourism like the Sea Eagle very much as they attract visitors. The economy of the Island of Mull, for example, has benefited enormously from their presence and the pro Sea Eagle lobby would like a similar boost for the economy of the Isle of Skye. This sector would therefore like to see the Sea Eagle splattered all over the tourist literature.

To confuse the issue, someone told me that the RSPB, a pro Sea Eagle organisation by definition, whilst wanting the bird's presence tolerated does not want it's presence advertised, for fear of disturbance and also probably egg theft. So the RSPB just wants the bird to be left alone.

And there's the rub. A situation where a re-introduced species of wildlife has engendered a range of different responses and for different reasons. The Crofter would like to eradicate it. The tourist industry would like to use it as a marketing tool. And the RSPB would like to make it invisible.