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Eamonn Meskall, Regional Manager at the National Parks and Wildlife Service, showing Peter Jones one of the 23 White-tailed eagle chicks. Valerie O'Sullivan

23 white-tailed eagles arrive in Kerry Airport as part of wildlife reintroduction project

The chicks were collected this June from nests throughout the Trondheim area of West-Central Norway.

TWENTY-THREE WHITE-TAILED eagle chicks have arrived in Kerry Airport, as part of a long-term wildlife reintroduction project that’s being led by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). 

The 2021 phase of this landmark collaboration to restore a native and once-extinct bird to Irish skies will see the release this year of the young eagles at four sites across Munster, including Killarney National Park, along the River Shannon, the lower Shannon estuary, and a site in Waterford.

The chicks were collected this June from nests throughout the Trondheim area of West-Central Norway by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and flown to Kerry Airport. 

They will be held for six to eight weeks at purpose-built flight cages at four sites in Munster, where they will be cared for and monitored by NPWS, before being released into the wild in early-mid August.

As they mature, these chicks will join and strengthen the small Irish breeding population that has become established since the reintroduction programme began in 2007.

White Tailed Eagles Munster3 Members of the National Parks and Wildlife Services and Department of Agriculture checking the 23 White-tailed eagle chicks. Valerie O'Sullivan Valerie O'Sullivan

“This is an incredibly exciting and technically complex project whose success depends on the collaboration of many groups, including our NPWS teams, local farmers, conservationists and communities, the Norwegian authorities and many other partners in Norway,” Minister for Heritage Malcolm Noonan said.

“Their collective efforts over many years have brought us to this point. I’d like to pay tribute to all involved and acknowledge their commitment to making this project a success, now and in the years to come.”

Last year, 10 eagles were released along the River Shannon. Nine of those 10 birds survived their first year, and currently they are dispersed at a number of locations in Ireland, and one is in Scotland.

Previously, 100 young white-tailed eagles were released in Killarney National Park between 2007 and 2011.

Birds from these releases subsequently dispersed widely throughout Ireland with first breeding in 2012 on Lough Derg, Co. Clare.

Since then a small breeding population of eight to 10 pairs have successfully fledged over 30 chicks, with an additional five chicks likely to fledge into the wild in Munster in the next few weeks.

This year, one nesting pair on Lough Derg has produced three chicks, which are due to fledge shortly. This is uncommon, even in the very extensive wild populations in Norway. 

White-tailed eagles, once a striking element of Ireland’s natural landscape, were driven to extinction on the island in the 19th Century as a result of human persecution, a development which the Programme seeks to reverse.

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    Mute Alan Corlett
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:38 AM

    Well we have a teacher pretending to do a Taoiseachs job

    204
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    Mute Buckwheat MacMillan
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:46 AM

    Very original, an off topics dig at govt. a first for the journal

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:49 AM

    Alan, it’s quite normal for a taoiseach to have been in a different job before he became taoiseach. They don’t come up through a special Taoiseach-training college.

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    Mute Alan Corlett
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    Apr 26th 2015, 12:01 PM

    Therein lies the problem

    58
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    Mute Lesley Mulhall
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:41 AM

    Is it wrong that I found that quite funny? Head case. What possessed her.

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    Mute Arthur Pewty
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:43 AM

    yes, it is wrong.

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    Mute juicy pants
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:46 AM

    You’re the head case for finding that funny.

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    Mute Lesley Mulhall
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:47 AM

    Think I might be on my way to hell!

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    Mute juicy pants
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:54 AM

    Get her to pull your teeth and you’re half way there!

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    Mute Alan O Reilly
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:58 AM

    What time do dentists take a break….tooth hurty

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    Mute Biscuits Patinkin
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    Apr 26th 2015, 12:09 PM

    TAXI FOR O’REILLY

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    Mute Chief
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    Apr 26th 2015, 12:32 PM

    One way to nevercomebacksville

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    Mute Celticspirit321
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:35 AM

    Plenty cowboys in Ireland too

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    Mute Chief
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    Apr 26th 2015, 12:30 PM

    I know!!!

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    Mute Joanna
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:53 AM

    She totally copied Mr. Bean.

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    Mute David Beattie
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    Apr 26th 2015, 12:02 PM

    At least the authorities copped on to her and got to the Root of the problem.

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    Mute Mark Fields
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    Apr 26th 2015, 11:41 AM

    Tooth fairy?

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    Mute tonymcc
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    Apr 26th 2015, 12:01 PM

    Looks like she has nice teeth,

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    Mute Lauren Masterson
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    Apr 26th 2015, 12:14 PM

    I cried reading this.. All those poor patients … I’m crying for them … I sympathise for the ones who now have dry socket .. I have dry socket on both sides of my mouth where I had my upper wisdom teeth removed last week by a real dentist .. Well I think it was a real dentist. Lol seriously though whatever about pulling teeth performing root canals ??? Ouch

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    Mute Lauren Masterson
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    Apr 26th 2015, 2:49 PM

    Thanks pontius your support is appreciated . Big shout out to the manufacturers of neurophen plus !!

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    Mute Anna Fierce
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    Apr 26th 2015, 6:22 PM

    I think the moral of this story is don’t comment on articles when you’re dosed up on pain meds!

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    Mute Lauren Masterson
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    Apr 26th 2015, 6:36 PM

    I think you may be right…… All the red thumbs.. My ego is hurt as well as my mouth now :(

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    Mute molly coddled
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    Apr 27th 2015, 12:40 AM

    @Lauren, cotton wad soaked in oil of cloves works wonders.

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    Mute molly coddled
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    Apr 27th 2015, 12:44 AM

    *for a dry socket infection.

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    Mute Lauren Masterson
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    Apr 27th 2015, 10:15 AM

    Somebody actually told me the exact same thing yesterday ! I will do that today ! Thank you @Molly

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    Mute Chris
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    Apr 26th 2015, 7:34 PM

    Seems yoy can’t handle the tooth!

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    Mute Michael Vines
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    Apr 26th 2015, 3:35 PM

    She was pulling their teeth, seems that she was pulling their leg as well

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