CONSERVATIONISTS have appealed for information after a satellite-tagged golden eagle disappeared in Aberdeenshire.
The young male bird was fitted with a transmitter by a member of a licensed raptor study group before it left its nest in summer 2016.
Data from the tag allowed RSPB Scotland experts to study the movements of the bird – known as 338 – as it explored north-east Scotland’s countryside.
After fledging in the area, the eagle spent the first few weeks around its nest before spending time on the eastern side of the Cairngorms National Park.
The eagle’s tag stopped working on March 5 and its last recorded position was in Glenbuchat, Strathdon, before nightfall.
Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s head of investigations, said: “These tags are very reliable and the sudden cessation of transmissions strongly suggests the bird has died.
Had the bird succumbed to natural causes, we would expect to continue to receive data and to be able to locate and recover the body of the eagle with ease”.
Police investigations on the North Glenbuchat estate found no sign of the bird.
Susan Davies, director of conservation, Scottish Wildlife Trust said: “This is the fifth golden eagle to either go missing or be illegally killed on North Glenbuchat Estate in recent years.”
In March 2011, on the same estate, another satellite-tagged golden eagle was found illegally poisoned. Police who investigated also found a poisoned buzzard, poisoned bait and a shot short-eared owl.
Another satellite-tagged golden eagle, named Strathy, disappeared there in September 2011, with further such tagged birds also vanishing in the same area, in February 2012 and May 2013.
In April 2014, the first young white-tailed eagle to fledge from a nest in the east of Scotland in 100 years also disappeared here.
Laura Sorrentino, director of North Glenbuchat estate said: “Our estate – which is small in size – lies in a very densely-keepered area of the country.
“We take our legal and wildlife responsibilities very seriously and our keepers are also fully aware of their responsibilities.”
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