Lamb radio tags 'put off' eagles

Sea eagles have been blamed for preying on young lambs

A crofters' leader has suggested that radio tags strapped to lambs to help monitor potential predatory activity by sea eagles had warded off the birds.

It is understood none of the 58 lambs tagged for a Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)-led project were taken by the UK's biggest raptor.

The scheme was run following crofters' claims that sea eagles were preying on the young animals.

But Willie Fraser said the large tags may have served as a deterrent.

The chairman of the Gairloch branch of the Scottish Crofting Foundation, said lambs that had not been tagged had been found dead in a sea eagle's nest in Melvaig.

Mr Fraser said: "We are under no illusions that eagles are taking lambs.

"The tags themselves were huge big tags strapped to the backs of lambs. I don't think there is anyway an eagle would come near a lamb like that."

He also said it was now time to end the release of sea eagles in Scotland.

SNH said it would provide a "full appraisal" of the situation once it received the final report from the Food and Environment Research Agency - which was commissioned to carry out the study - next month.

RSPB Scotland said the reintroduction programme would not be stopped as it brought economic and tourist benefits to Scotland.

The fortunes of the 58 lambs were monitored from birth to weaning to help determine whether large numbers of livestock fall prey to sea eagles.

Crofters on Skye and in Wester Ross have claimed the birds feed on their stock.

Lambs on two holdings in Gairloch, Wester Ross, were radio-tagged and observed by field workers.

SNH said earlier this year that the study aimed to provide a scientific measure of the true level of lamb deaths directly attributable to sea eagles as opposed to other causes.

The information was gathered via radio transmitters attached to the lambs to track their movements and signal their demise rapidly after the time of death.

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