Secrecy and suspicion on trail of missing eagle 'bird N'

Published on Monday 22 September 2008 22:48

AFTER hearing a white tailed eagle known only as "bird N" had mysteriously vanished The Scotsman went on the trail of the missing creature.

The magnificent bird, donated by Norway, disappeared less than two months after it was released in a reintroduction programme to boost numbers of the eagles in Scotland.

However, the body has never been found and when The Scotsman tried to track down the missing bird in December, following clues across the Angus countryside, we encountered secrecy and suspicion.

Today, the fate of the sea eagle, released in Fife in August last year, remains a mystery.

A tracking device fitted to the bird stopped giving out a signal, suggesting it was disabled.

It is designed to give out a "mortality signal" if the bird fails to move for several hours and should withstand the impact of a fall.

In addition, an informant offered police the name of someone said to be responsible for killing the bird.

Of the 15 released, two others died when they were electrocuted by pylon cables. Another 15 birds were released in Fife last month, and so far have all survived.