Gamekeepers to name golden eagle fledged on managed grouse moor

Five young golden eagles took their first flights across southern Scotland this summer, four of them directly descended from birds translocated by the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project. Among them is Beaky Jr, reared on a managed grouse moor in the southern uplands, and the gamekeepers on that moor have been invited to choose his name in recognition of their part in the project’s success.

Why does a grouse moor fledgling matter?

Beaky Jr is the first chick to fledge from the nest of a translocated eagle on managed grouse moor in the southern uplands, according to the charity Restoring Upland Nature (RUN), which now runs the project. His mother, Beaky, was moved south from the Jahama Estate in the Highlands in 2018, and his father, Skan, followed in 2019.

The keepers’ role is not incidental. RUN chair Michael Clarke said the significance of this year’s fledging went far beyond record numbers. Individuals from all walks of life, he said, “including many who live and work in the landscapes they share with golden eagles such as game keepers, farmers and forestry workers, have responded positively to the project and played an important part in its success”.

Another of the year’s fledglings, known for now as N47, has grouse moor lineage too: his mother, Dora, was translocated from managed grouse moor in the Perthshire hills in 2022 and was named by a primary school working with the Central and Tayside Moorland Group.

How strong is the southern Scotland population?

The charity says the population is now the strongest it has been for three centuries. More than 50 individual golden eagles occupy 18 active ranges across the south of Scotland, against three nesting pairs when the project began, and around 80% of the translocated birds are still alive. Satellite data shows more than 25 translocated eagles have crossed into northern England at least once since 2020.

Dr Cat Barlow, chief executive of RUN, called the season “a hugely significant milestone in our work to restore the species to southern skies”. She said: “It shows that where there are healthy ecosystems and the risk of interference is low, translocated eagles can successfully integrate into native populations to breed successfully.”

Two of the fledglings already have names, chosen by famous friends of the project. Dame Judi Dench named GoldenEye, whose grandfather fledged from a Galloway nest in 1990 and, at 36, is the oldest known living wild golden eagle in Europe. Outlander actor Sam Heughan named Sassy, a chick from a nest near Moffat and a younger brother of Princeling, the project’s first translocated-nest fledgling, named last year by Sir David Attenborough.

What happens next

All the new arrivals have been satellite-tagged by licensed experts with support from local Scottish Raptor Study Group members, landowners and land managers, and RUN will monitor their progress. Beaky Jr’s name will be announced by the moor’s gamekeepers at a later date, while N47 is being cared for at a Scottish SPCA hospital after contracting a rare bacterial infection, with the team hoping to re-release him.

Backed by £1 million from the UK Government and Forestry England, the charity is also laying the groundwork for a possible golden eagle reintroduction in northern England, beginning with conversations with communities and organisations on both sides of the border.