A GOLDEN eagle fledged in the region as part of the South of Scotland Eagle Project was killed by a wind turbine, it has been confirmed.
The remains of Sparky, a three-year-old male eagle, were found on August 22 this year, 15 metres from a turbine base, with his wing detached. It was the first recorded incident of its kind in the south of Scotland.
Sparky’s cause of death was confirmed on Monday by The Veterinary Investigation Centre at Scotland’s Rural College in Dumfries. They conducted a variety of tests including toxicology, histopathology, virology, bacteriology and parasitology, which found the bird had been in good condition, and concluded that his fatal injuries were ‘typical of those associated with a wind turbine strike.’
The news has led to renewed calls for urgent funding and support to help the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project continue with its state-of-the-art monitoring and research to reinforce and protect the golden eagle population in the region. The project team has tagged a number of locally fledged birds to gain a better understanding of behaviour, health, risks, and opportunities affecting birds in the area. This close surveillance of these birds led to the prompt discovery of the body of Sparky.
Explaining the significance of their involvement in the investigation, Dr Cat Barlow, project manager of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, said: “Our satellite tagging system allowed us to immediately detect that something untoward had happened to Sparky at Windy Rig Windfarm in Galloway.
“Without our team’s surveillance and ability to respond promptly, we may never have known what led to Sparky’s death. Gathering knowledge from the satellite tags is vital to ensuring the continued protection of golden eagles, and further reinforces the importance of our work to monitor golden eagles in southern Scotland.”
Although the project was due to fold this year the team have developed bold new plans and will become a stand-alone charity named RUN (Restoring Upland Nature) in 2025, and argue that Sparky’s death shows their work is needed more than ever.
Dr Barlow added: “The need for our new charity, RUN , is more important than ever. As a new stand-alone charity, we can continue to provide a strong voice for golden eagles and other threatened species when it matters most to ensure that nature and humans can thrive alongside each other.
“Though sustainable energy is key to addressing the climate crisis and protecting our natural world in the long term, as Sparky’s death shows, death through wind turbine collision is a risk, so it is important that charities like ours exist to support work to mitigate risks to golden eagles – both at existing sites and when new development proposals are being considered.”
