POTENTIAL courtship has been spotted between two golden eagles that were moved to the South of Scotland.
John Wright, eagle officer at the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, spotted the birds displaying behaviour often used to communicate prior to mating.
Wright watched as female Beaky, who was moved to the area in 2018, and male Skan, who arrived a year later, performed an undulating flight together.
He said: “I could see from the tag data that Beaky was in an accessible position, so being careful not to disturb her, I went to check how she was doing.
“When I got there, I was delighted to find both eagles sitting a few metres apart on the fence, looking like they’d both just had a good feed.
“As the cloud cleared, they took to the skies, shadowing each other, wing-tip to wing-tip.
“Skan appeared more dominant. Beaky rolled on to her back several times, legs outstretched and talons splayed, as Skan closely tailed her.
“It was an absolutely spectacular display which lasted about eight minutes before they went their separate ways.”
Wright added: “While it’s difficult to say for sure, and Skan in particular is very young for an eagle to settle down, these amazing behaviours had elements commonly associated with eagles attracting a mate.
“It was a truly beautiful sight and such a privilege to witness it first-hand.”
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