Copyright M. McGrady

Natural Research has partnered with Tayside Raptor Study Group and Atholl Estates to help set up a video camera at a golden eagle nest site. Located in Highland Perthshire, Atholl Estates sit at the foot of the Cairngorms, stretching across 145,000 acres from Dunkeld in the south to beyond Blair Atholl in the north. Thanks to sensitive management by their staff, Atholl Estates is home to several breeding raptor species, and estate staff have worked closely with members of Tayside Raptor Study Group to ensure the birds remain protected and secure.

Unfortunately, raptor persecution remains a problem in some of the surrounding areas so the location of the nests on the Atholl Estates has to remain a secret. However, by setting up a remote video camera at the eagle nest, live images can be relayed to a visitor centre at Blair Castle to be viewed by the public without disturbing or compromising the safety of the eagles. The live pictures will be shown on a TV monitor and used as part of the Atholl Estates free public education programme for local school groups and members of the public alike.

Natural Research will utilise the nest camera as a research opportunity for assessing the diet of the eagles on the estate. Recorded images from the camera can be stored and later analysed to identify prey items that the adult eagles bring to the nest to feed to their eaglets. We are also interested in fitting young eaglets from this nest with satellite radio tags [Click here to link to our golden eagle juvenile dispersal project] to monitor their movements once they are old enough to leave the nest. Regularly updated maps of the tagged eagles’ movements will be displayed at the visitor centre as an additional element to the education programme.

The eagle camera team from Atholl Estates (AE) and Tayside Raptor Study Group (TRSG). L-R: Wendy Mattingley (TRSG), David Greer (AE), Roger Hayward (TRSG), Dominic Morrogh-Bernard (AE). Photo by R. Tingay.

This project has received generous financial support from the Cairngorms National Park Authority's Community Investment Programme (CIP). Partners in the CIP include Cairngorms National Park Authority, Scottish Natural Heritage, Aberdeenshire Council, Angus Council and Cairngorms LEADER+.

For further information, please contact Ruth Tingay: ruth.tingay@natural-research.org