He may be an ugly duckling (or even eagle) but he's worth £20m

Published on Friday 30 July 2010 15:38

IT STARTED with a single chick born 25 years ago and grew into a fully-fledged tourist attraction which has brought in more than £20 million to a fragile island economy.

Dave Sexton, RSPB Mull officer, was there when the first white-tailed eagle chick - since the extinction of the species from Scotland in 1918 _ hatched in the summer of 1985.

And he revealed yesterday the crucial part that the now thriving population has played in the local economy.

Mr Sexton said: "Things like the children's TV programme Balamory, which was filmed in Tobermory, come and go - but the white-tailed eagles are a good sustainable thing for the Mull economy. It's fantastic to see how it's grown."

There are now ten resident pairs, which have given birth to ten chicks so far this year, meaning Mull continues to live up to its nickname of Eagle Island.

The birds have captured the hearts of millions, at home and around the world, thanks to their numerous TV appearances and Mr Sexton said: "We know from a study that over 2m now comes to Mull every year, so I think you can easily say they have brought in over 20m since they were first introduced.

"The eagles bring so much in to the local economy and it's been an honour and a privilege to have worked with them on this beautiful island since that first historic chick flew the nest 25 years ago.

"We couldn't do it without the help of the farmers and the wider island community. Working together, it's a great example of what can be achieved for the benefit of rare wildlife and the island economy."

Sandy Brunton, President of Mull and Iona Chamber of commerce, commented: "From a business perspective there is no doubt that there are far more people visiting the island to look at birds than ever before and the sea eagles are a major factor.

"They are a huge iconic bird which, when you see them, you are astounded by their scale."

Recalling the birth of the first chick in 1985 Mr Sexton said: "We watched day and night, through thick and thin, because it was the only nesting territory in Scotland. They hatched two and one died, but the second chick went on to grow up and fly the nest in July 1985. Mull was the first, it was a pretty momentous occasion - almost 70 years since the birds had been in Scotland, it was a big deal."

But the initial joy turned to dismay when the surviving chick was thought to have drowned. Mr Sexton said: "On its maiden voyage it had landed in the loch, this first precious chick for 70 years was lying in this huge loch, there was general panic and we thought it had drowned.

"The next morning we went up there, expecting to pick up a corpse, and there it was at the loch edge, looking bedraggled with its parents."