Public picks sea eagle chick names

THE NAMES for two sea eagles said to ‘symbolise the future’ of a Lochaber forest have been decided by a public vote.

Saorsa and Dòchas, Gaelic for Freedom and Hope, are the latest additions to the Arkaig Forest. The chicks hatched in the middle of a £4.5 million appeal to buy and restore the forest which is being sold by Forestry Commission Scotland under the National Forest Land Scheme.

Once extinct in the UK, sea eagles, also known as white-tailed eagles, have been reintroduced and are breeding again in Scotland. The young birds are believed to be the grandchildren of Skye and Frisa – the sea eagle pair on Mull which captured viewers’ hearts in the earliest series of the BBC’s Springwatch programme.

Nominations for names were taken through Woodland Trust’s social media channels #ArkaigEagles on twitter, facebook and instagram. Online voting produced a final list from which the Arkaig community chose the winning names: Haggis and Neeps, Thistle and Whisky, Saorsa and Dòchas, and Birdy and Beaky McBirdface.

Woodland Trust Scotland is partnering with Arkaig Community Forest – a small group of local residents who share ambitious plans for the 2,500 acre site, which needs upgraded. Gary Servant of Arkaig Community Forest said: ‘ These chicks are a symbol of the forest’s future. We hope that by this time next year they will be soaring over a landscape where ecological and economic regeneration is well under way. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure the future of this amazing place.’

The fundraising campaign to secure the future of Loch Arkaig Forest aims to reach the required total before the end of the year. A trust spokesman told

The Oban Times: ‘It is still early days but we are confident the money is coming in. We hope to be able to make a fund announcement by the end of August.’