A number of White-Tailed Eagle chicks have been released in the Lough Derg area this month. A nesting pair of adults in the lakeside area have also fledged triplets.

White-Tailed Eagle chicks on Lough Derg

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People visiting Lough Derg will now have a greater opportunity to see White-Tailed Eagles after a number of newly hatched chicks were released in the area earlier this month.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) said it released a total of 24 chicks in recent weeks in various parts of Ireland, including Lough Derg where the species was re-introduced in 2007 after breeding adults were imported from Norway.

Once native to this country, the eagle became extinct in Ireland in the 19th Century but the NPWS say that the species are predators who play an important role in nature and the ecosystem.

Galway East TD Anne Rabbitte said there was currently a nesting pair of adults eagles in the Lough Derg area that had fledged triplets this year. “This is incredibly unusual - even in the wilds of Norway - and it shows how well suited Ireland really is for the White-Tailed Eagle from both a habitat and a feeding perspective,” she said.

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