The majestic golden eagle spreads its 8ft wingspan and glides over a Scottish mountainside with a bloodied lamb seemingly effortlessly grasped in its talons.
A golden eagle snatches a lamb on the Isle of Mull Photo: KETTS NEWSBy Simon Johnson 7:00AM GMT 28 Feb 2011
This extraordinary picture, taken on the Isle of Mull, is believed to be the first photograph of one of the giant birds of prey snatching livestock from farmers’ flocks.
It was taken by a birdwatcher, who did not want to be named or reveal the precise location, near Ben More, for fear the eagles’ nests would be targeted by angry hill farmers.
There are only 30 breeding pairs north of the Border and special protection areas were designated last year following outcry over the discovery of some poisoned carcasses.
“There were a few other cars parked close by and some eagles circling, possibly by an eyrie,” said the birdwatcher.
“Suddenly this massive eagle swooped into view. We could see it was carrying something beneath it and my wife, who had binoculars, thought it was a white mountain hare.
“As it got closer, I said to her, ‘That’s no hare, it’s a lamb’. It was a very unusual sight and a bit sad for the lamb, but that’s nature. It’s certainly a sight that neither of us will forget.”
The unlucky animal is likely to have been snatched from the 1,700-strong flock of Donald MacLean, who farms 10,000 acres on the island.
He said: “This is a hugely significant photograph, catching the eagle in the act. It proves eagles are carrying off lambs, evidence that farmers need to make their point.”
Victorians hunted golden eagles to extinction, but they were reintroduced to Scotland from Norway in 1975. The birds kill large prey by dropping it from a great height.
However, farmers are more concerned about a recent programme to bring back white-tailed sea eagles. It was claimed that Britain’s largest bird of prey took more than 200 lambs on one Highland peninsula in a single year.
An official study that involved the radio-tagging of 58 lambs found none was taken by a sea eagle, but its findings were dismissed by crofters.
Crikey. That is an impressive photo.
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