White Tailed Eagle-Iolar Mhara

Known as the white tailed Eagle or Sea Eagle in English, Iolar Mhara in Irish/Gaeilge and Haliaeetus albicilla in Latin. There is alot of place names in either irish or anglicised derivations of the irish in kerry, suggeting a long historical association between man and Eagles in that part of the country. Such names as Sliabh an Iolar, 'mountain of the Eagle', near Slea Head, Beenanillar Head on Valentia Island, and Cloghananillar, 'stony place of the eagle', near Hogs Head. Eagles are mentioned in poetry as early as the 8th century AD, illustrated in the illuminated manuscripts like the book of Kells, and feature in the heradlic coat of arms from several old families of the Kerry region like O'Donoghues (thats me!) and O'Rafferty.

Description

The White tailed Eagle are found throughout Northern Eurasia, from Scotland or Iceland to the Bering straits seperating Asia from North America. The Eagles are heavy, broad winged birds, with a rectangular shape in flight, and have a short, wedge shaped tail. They usually associate with water, nesting and foraging close to the sea, lakes or bogs, using trees, islands and coastal cliffs for nesting . Trees are preferred but cliffs will do when no Trees are available,in areas lacking both these they will nest on predator free islands. In ireland Castlemaine and Tralee Harbours as well as Dingle, Iveragh and Beara peninsulas should provide wintering and nesting sites for these Eagles.

Extinction

Sea Eagles were once widespread in Europe, though largely coastal and western in their recent distribution in Ireland. Some suggestions say there was a minimum of 75 nest sites in Ireland in the early 19th century. The white-tailed Eagles populations declined drastically in Europe in the 19th century, leading to extinction within Ireland, Scotland, Faeroes and most of southern Europe. This was the result of Human persecution with shootings, poison baits as the primary reasons for the decline and then followed by exctinction in the later 19th/early 20th century. In ireland by 1894 there was only one or two pairs within Mayo and Kerry, by 1900 they were gone, last known nesting occuring in 1898. Now since 2006 they have been reintroduced to Ireland by the Golden Eagles Trust. To give them your support or find out more about them you can find them here:

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