Summer 2009: These images show Conall in the nest as a chick during the summer of 2009.

Golden Eagle Trust

Press Release 12th November 2009
Satellite Tagged Golden Eagle Chick Wanders into Leitrim

A wild bred Golden Eagle Chick has wandered into County Leitrim in the past few days. The eagle, named Conall, was one of two chicks that were reared by Golden Eagles in the Derryveagh Mountains in North Donegal in 2009. A long term project to re-establish Golden Eagles in Ireland has been ongoing in Glenveagh National Park since 2001.

A pair of Eagles, imported from Scotland in 2001 and 2002, built an eyrie in Glenveagh earlier this spring. They laid two eggs in March. Both eggs hatched in late April and both chicks flew from the nest in early July.

Both chicks were male and the older chick was fitted with a satellite tag before it left the nest. The small satellite tag sends frequent radio signals up to satellites orbiting the earth and its movements are then tracked on computer through the Argos database in France.

The older chick was named Conall and it settled near the eyrie alongside its younger sibling and adult birds for most of July, August and September. In recent weeks, (since it has begun to wander away from the secure and protected nest site), the eagle’s latest locations are now being posted regularly on the project website (see HYPERLINK "http://www.goldeneagle.ie"www.goldeneagle.ie).

The bird initially wandered south along either side of the Gweebarra river, to the south west of the Derryveagh Mountains – its nest vicinity in Donegal. It settled near Glenties briefly before moving south eastwards toward Frosses, onto the Lough Derg area before passing south toward Lower Lough Erne, Fermanagh. On Tuesday the 10th November it was noted over the Northwest corner of Lough Melvin and it was noted, and also seen flying, over Kinlough, Leitrim heading south for the Dartry Mountains on the Wednesday 11th November 2009.

The Golden Eagle project team has asked for the support of the people and communities living in the hills of Leitrim, Sligo, Fermanagh and possibly beyond to help protect one of Donegal’s favourite birds. “There has been great interest and support for the golden eagles in Donegal over the last decade. Conall is one of only three Donegal bred Golden Eagles we have and people in Donegal are especially interested in the fate of their locally bred eagles, School children and local papers and media are following its progress. We would make a sincere request to all people working in mountain areas not to use poison on meat baits to control foxes or crows in areas that Conall is passing through – and indeed all areas. There are alternative methods of protecting livestock and game birds, there are alternative control methods and if one is intent on using poison legally there are well known and effect Non Meat poison baits that will work in controlling foxes and crows, as we have discussed and agreed with the IFA and the ICSA farming organisations and Shooting interests alike.”

“The Golden Eagle project enjoys a very good working relationship with the farming sector in Donegal and the local Gun clubs in Donegal. Some people outside of Donegal may be nervous of the impact of eagles based on some old stories. But we believe the farmers and shooting interests, in County Donegal, after almost 10 years experience of Eagles locally, could allay the majority of these concerns if contacted for independent advice on the matter.”

“And we hope that people in counties neighbouring Donegal can follow the whereabouts of this Golden Eagle chick and help ensure its safety as it wanders around the Northwest”, said Lorcan O Toole, of the Golden Eagle Trust.

Young Golden Eagles can often wander for up to 2 to 3 years before they begin to establish a permanent territory themselves. Eagles can live up to 25 years and normally begin to breed and lay eggs when 4 or 5 years old. Another satellite tagged Golden Eagle, released in 2005, wandered down to County Mayo on several discrete trips, always passing through Leitrim and Sligo en route from and returning to North Donegal. That bird also made several short trips to the Sperrin Mountains in Counties Tyrone and Derry. It will be very interesting to follow this Donegal bred Golden Eagle chick as it wanders around the North west of Ireland.