Estate angered by eagle claims

A row has broken out over the whereabouts of a satellitetagged golden eagle after its transmitter stopped working while over a Scottish estate.

The young male bird was fitted with a tag by a member of a licensed raptor study group before it left its nest in summer 2016.

Data allowed RSPB Scotland experts to study the movements of the bird – known as 338 – around Aberdeenshire but the tag stopped working on March 5 with its last recorded position in Glenbuchat, Strathdon.

Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s head of investigations, said the tags are very reliable and that “the sudden cessation of transmissions strongly suggests the bird has died”.

But North Glenbuchat Estate said it was shocked at the suggestion it may have been involved in the disappearance, adding that its head keeper filmed the bird flying in the area on Thursday.

Mr Thomson said: “As soon as we became aware of this bird’s disappearance, we notified Police Scotland in line with Protection Against Wildlife Scotland protocols, who concurred that the circumstances were suspicious.”

Police investigations on the North Glenbuchat estate found no sign of the bird.

Laura Sorrentino, director of the estate, said: “The estate is shocked by the clear implication that the estate may have been involved in the disappearance of this eagle.”

In 2011, atagged golden eagle was found illegally poisoned on the same estate.

The tagged eagle in its nest.