Threatened raptor on the rebound
The Stirling Observer has teamed up with Blair Drummond Safari Park to give away one family pass, worth almost £50, to a lucky reader every week.
We will introduce you to a resident of the popular attraction then ask a question about that animal. This week it is the white-tailed sea eagle.
These are the fourth-largest species of eagle in the world, with a wingspan of over eight feet. The adults are mostly brown but have a lighter coloured head and, of course, a white tail. The young birds are generally brown all over and take up to six years to gain the full adult plumage.
In Britain these eagles became extinct in the early 1900s but in 1975 they were successfully reintroduced to the isle of Rum, off the west coast of Scotland. They now breed throughout the western isles and the mainland coast of Wester Ross.
Fish, sea birds, rabbit and duck form the majority of these birds’ diet. They also scavenge, scouring the shoreline for washed-up fish and often stealing food from other animals such as otters and ospreys.
In Scotland they spend the winter courting and nest-building and eggs are laid in March. Females normally lay one or two eggs, which are incubated for about seven weeks.
Question: In which year was the white-tailed sea eagle reintroduced to Scotland?
Send your answer along with your name, address and telephone number, to: Blair Drummond competition, Stirling Observer, 34 Upper Craigs, Stirling FK8 2DW.
We will select a winner on Monday, and announce the winner in next week’s papers.
Last week’s lucky winner, who correctly told us that camels store fat deposits in their humps, was Caitlin Harrison of Old Kirk Loan, Aberfoyle.