Hope is a young female eaglet we satellite tagged at its nest on the Hope & Loyal estates of Wildland Ltd Estates in North Sutherland in June 2014. On 29th June I went to the nest site with Thomas MacDonell (Director of Conservation of Wildland Ltd) and Paul Butterworth and colleagues, who had already ringed the chicks. We tagged this eagle with sat tag 89255 and on this date she weighed 5 kg. The parents had been feeding fulmars to the two eaglets. Her sibling is Loyal, the larger of the two young.
Hope removed satellite tag
On 21st June, Hope’s satellite tag stopped moving south of Cranstackie. I emailed Derek Spencer, who is carrying out his PhD on golden eagles in NW Sutherland, and he went to Coire na Cuile to see what had happened. He found the satellite tag lying on the ground and sent it back to me. Very many thanks, Derek. An examination showed that she had underdone the cotton stitching and detached the tag. I’m pleased that she was not dead and now continues her life without us tracking her. Good luck.
From Wester Ross to North Sutherland
Mainly in Wester Ross
Ranging very widely in Sutherland and Ross-shire
Hope ranged widely in 8000 km². She started at Ben Mor Assynt on 1st April and next day flew to Rhidorroch before going on 5th to Achnashellach. She then turned north to the Rubha Re Peninsula. On 11th April she flew past Poolewe and continued all the way to Kinbrace. On 12th to 16th April remained in this area with a trip north to Armadale and back. On 17th – 18th of April she made a long flight to the Cape Wrath Peninsula and then back to Kinlochbervie and the Reay estate.
Hope wandered to Caithness
Hope left her natal area on 15th October – a long time ahead of her sibling, Loyal. She headed south to Ben Hee and then slowly east to near Lairg and Golspie on 26th October, before heading north and settling in the Morven area of southern Caithness for the winter.
Hope remained in area west of Morven on the Caithness/Sutherland border to 15th March, when she flew to Ben Hope and the Loyal Estate on 18th. Later that day she flew to The Moine and stayed there to 20th March, before moving on south to the Foinavon SPA.