GLIN in County Limerick is one of a number of sites where rare white-tailed eagles are to be released into the wild this week.
Minister Malcolm Noonan said he was delighted to be present when the birds were once again released by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as part of a Phase II project to bolster the small existing breeding population in Ireland.
Ten young white-tailed eagles are to be released in Munster in 2020 as part of the project to augment the small newly re-established breeding population.
Four young eagles will be released on Lough Derg, County Tipperary, with another two birds released at the same site later in the month.
Meanwhile, four young eagles are to be released shortly on the Shannon Estuary in the Tarbert/Glin areas of County Limerick and Kerry.
Speaking at the release, Minister Noonan said, “These are our largest birds of prey and one of the most impressive birds in the world.
“”Against the backdrop of concerns for species extinction globally this is a remarkable example of hands on conservation in action. I am delighted to see these majestic birds returning to our skylines and becoming an established part of the Irish landscape after an absence of some 100 years,“ he said.
“I acknowledge the relationships established in both the release and breeding areas with the farming community and I thank the landowners and farmers who have facilitated this new re-introduction, and helped monitor birds and nests at some sites,” he concluded.
