Hebridean Journey by Brigid Benson

Author:Brigid Benson [Benson, Brigid]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Birlinn

Beauty Spot

Rare white-tailed sea eagles fish the shallow Sound of Harris. The magnificent raptors are the United Kingdom’s largest bird of prey, with a massive wingspan of around two metres. They are seen easily from the shore and from the ferry; keep a look out. It is astonishing to witness the spectacle of a powerful sea eagle swoop low and pause for just a fraction of a second before thrusting forth golden talons to snatch hopeless prey clear from the water with pinpoint precision. These majestic creatures with a beady pale stare are named romantically in Gaelic as iolair sùil na grèine – ‘the bird with the sunlit eye’. Sea eagles are inclined to be relatively comfortable around human activity and this ease led to their downfall in Britain where they were persecuted, shot for sport, and driven to extinction in 1918. Cautious reintroduction of birds from Norway, to establish a breeding programme, has proved a slow, steady success, although a wet, cold spring threatens a growing chick’s chances of survival.

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