One of Mull’s Sea Eagles seen over Carlisle and Annan

A white-tailed Sea Eagle, not seen in the skies around Cumbria for 200 years, has been seen over Carlisle and Annan on the south west Scottish border. It is thought to be a juvenile bird of around a year old, from the breeding programme on Argyll’s Isle of Mull, possibly on a wide-ranging search for a mate after leaving the parental nest.

These birds are vast – with a wingspan of around eight feet so the unexpected sighting has caused a lot of excitement. The Sea Eagle was re-introduced to Britain during the 1970s on the Isle of Rum on Scotland’s west coast, followed by a further establishment on the Isle of Mull.

One of the best websites to learn about the Mull Sea Eagles is the RSPB’s blog, Mara & Breagha, the winer of the Best Wildlife Website Award in the ForArgyll Awards 2008.

The photograph above of a white-tailed Sea Eagle by Tobias Biehl is reproduced here under the Creative Common licence.