According to this recently published report, lamb is the second most common food species found in and around eagles nests by both total count and number of territories in which it was found.
Lamb is White Tailed eagles 2nd most favourite food
- Thread starter Macsky
- Start date
Am I missing something? Isnt lamb the biggest prey item?
There’s a bit more to the appendix, Fulmar is the most common by both total count and territories found.
ok. Interesting. Wonder what the total wieght taken or calories is. Bet lamb comes out top by some margin. .
A reply from a friend on FB:
“The producers of the report have their own agenda, simple. There may seem to be less bits of lambs in nests, but when you have a burgeoning population of Sea Eagles and only half the amount of lambs in Skye, for example, what else would you expect. The other more telling fact is this: most lambs here are born in April and the first week in May. Sea Eagle chicks hatch as lambing is coming to an end, and whilst Sea Eagles kill lambs during lamb time, the overwhelming amount are killed after the chicks are hatched and the feeding steadily increases. By this time lambs are becoming more difficult to carry back to nests so only parts are taken back usually the intestines and organs. Anyone who expects to find an 8 or 10 week old lamb in a nest doesn't know what they're on about. Unfortunately, we also have juveniles, ( a number that no one seems to be able to quantify accurately, but SNH grudgingly admit could be upwards of 50 or 60 ) killing lambs, over and above the 30 plus nesting pairs.”
“The producers of the report have their own agenda, simple. There may seem to be less bits of lambs in nests, but when you have a burgeoning population of Sea Eagles and only half the amount of lambs in Skye, for example, what else would you expect. The other more telling fact is this: most lambs here are born in April and the first week in May. Sea Eagle chicks hatch as lambing is coming to an end, and whilst Sea Eagles kill lambs during lamb time, the overwhelming amount are killed after the chicks are hatched and the feeding steadily increases. By this time lambs are becoming more difficult to carry back to nests so only parts are taken back usually the intestines and organs. Anyone who expects to find an 8 or 10 week old lamb in a nest doesn't know what they're on about. Unfortunately, we also have juveniles, ( a number that no one seems to be able to quantify accurately, but SNH grudgingly admit could be upwards of 50 or 60 ) killing lambs, over and above the 30 plus nesting pairs.”
- Location
- North Norfolk
If the Law permits a shepherd to shoot a dog which is sheep worrying, then I fail to see the grounds to deny that same person the right to protect his property and during an attack which can't be prevented in any other way, be it a wild bird or animal.
- Location
- North Norfolk
For those who may be interested in the activities of Raptor Persecution UK and perhaps their partner page Wild Justice, I would suggest that you seek out the Facebook Page;
Wild Justice & RP-UK - The Truth. …. all well mannered and non-troll contributors are welcome.
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Just watching some Xmas wildlife TV. White tailed eagle picking off caribou calves. Lambs must be a dream for them.
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
Thanks for posting this. I heard about the report and thought, 'Oh, that's good'. Just shows the need to look into these things properly and not rely on the spin someone else puts on it.
Putting out bales a couple of days ago, Dad spotted a really large raptor flying near the coast about a mile away. I hope they're not on the move...
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
What qualifies a predator to be taken off the protected list? Or placed on a general licence? Discuss.
I expect they will tell us all those lambs have died from natural causes, disease, or neglect and were merely scavenged.
I expect they will tell us all those lambs have died from natural causes, disease, or neglect and were merely scavenged.
- Location
- North Norfolk
@Dry Rot ….
All rather obvious, but predators predate. During the years that I worked as a gamekeeper and regardless of how assiduously I may have applied myself to the reduction in vermin numbers, then every year, the vermin stocks were replenished. That's just how it was and still is. How can we explain the hike in predator numbers? …. rearing and releasing nationally, in excess of 50,000,000 head of game is the major contributing factor and of that there can be little question.
But your question was, whether we should manage/control the number of predators extant and the answer, in simple terms ~ if we are going to provide an artificial larder, then and to protect the collateral and cherished prey - of course we need to maintain a balance …. but the problem here is that there is a growing undercurrent and mostly of woke view, who view the damage to all our wildlife as no more than collateral damage, such is their drive to maintain control.
Wolves, Lynx, Beavers and Red Kites were NOT hunted to extinction …. they all died out because of the joint influences of; how small our isles are, and by the expansion of our human population.
All rather obvious, but predators predate. During the years that I worked as a gamekeeper and regardless of how assiduously I may have applied myself to the reduction in vermin numbers, then every year, the vermin stocks were replenished. That's just how it was and still is. How can we explain the hike in predator numbers? …. rearing and releasing nationally, in excess of 50,000,000 head of game is the major contributing factor and of that there can be little question.
But your question was, whether we should manage/control the number of predators extant and the answer, in simple terms ~ if we are going to provide an artificial larder, then and to protect the collateral and cherished prey - of course we need to maintain a balance …. but the problem here is that there is a growing undercurrent and mostly of woke view, who view the damage to all our wildlife as no more than collateral damage, such is their drive to maintain control.
Wolves, Lynx, Beavers and Red Kites were NOT hunted to extinction …. they all died out because of the joint influences of; how small our isles are, and by the expansion of our human population.
I can’t think of anything that would suit them better, a plentiful white meaty treat that can be spotted from miles away and an easy kill, imagine if we knew the true number of lambs predated
- Location
- North Norfolk
For those that have eagles moving into their areas for the first time I would say look out for a simultaneous rise in Raven and hoodie crow numbers too, which exacerbate the problem.
Eagle kills, eats the tasty bits first and leaves, corvids arrive and demolish what is left of the kill, eagle returns to find nothing left, so has to go and kill again.
Eagle kills, eats the tasty bits first and leaves, corvids arrive and demolish what is left of the kill, eagle returns to find nothing left, so has to go and kill again.
Bring it on@Macsky - yes of course you can, but be warned; one word of question or dissent and your will be truncheoned, trust me!!
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
You have misread my post. My question was not "whether we should manage/control the number of predators" but what qualifies a predator for protection (like the badger) or not (like the fox), which is an entirely different matter. The distinction is illogical and I was hoping someone could answer my question. The question is a legal one.
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
There's a lot of truth in that. I was at one time a bird ringer. (Trust me, I had motives
!). We rung a nest of 5 young buzzards which was an unusually high number of young on the West Coast of Scotland. In the same week, we rung the three occupants of a peregrine falcons nest. What was unusual was that the buzzard's nest was full of red grouse feathers. As it would be unusual for a buzzard to kill grouse, it was my guess that the buzzards were robbing the peregrines' nest when the parents were away hunting. Of course, I can't prove anything either way but I can't think of another explanation. "A greater flea has lesser fleas upon it's back to bite 'em. And lesser fleas have even lesser fleas and so on, ad infinitum".