A “MIRACLE” white-tailed eagle, which was nursed back to health after suffering a broken wing, has been spotted in the skies over Mull for the first time in more than a year.
Last year, experts were left stunned after two white-tailed Eagles on the Scottish island were seen caring for their injured chick for more than a year in behaviour never before witnessed in the species.
The male chick, nicknamed Kinky, had fallen from the pair’s nest in July 2023 during bad weather, which resulted in a significant break to its left wing, which has since healed but has left a visible kink in its wing.
Kinky took to the skies weeks after its uninjured sibling in autumn last year, which is typical for the species, but hadn’t been spotted since.
His parents were spotted breeding once again with Kinky nowhere in sight, leading to fears that he had not survived his first winter alone due to his injury, as experts were concerned his wobbly flight may impact his ability to hunt.
Following a campaign by RSPB Scotland who encouraged Scots to keep an eye out for Kinky, an immature white-tailed eagle was spotted by Blair Ketteringham, a crew member of the Mull Charters vessel Lady Jayne, circling over the island of Forsa in Loch na Keal in Mull.
Ketteringham quickly noticed that the bird had a distinctive kink in its wing and took some pictures of the bird, which he immediately sent to RSPB Ambassador Dave Sexton with the message: “He lives!”
“It was 2pm when the WhatsApp message and photo came through,” said Sexton.
“I was just having a cup of tea and nearly spilled the lot when I looked at it.
“Frankly I was in disbelief as I seriously doubted if Kinky could survive last winter without his parents to support him.
“Clearly they had to move on with their lives and are finally breeding again this year but of Kinky there’d been no sign despite our appeal.
“He was soaring high over Eorsa like any other eagle would and eventually came down to land where he interacted briefly with a different adult sea eagle.
“It’s testament to his strength of character and incredible survival skills that he seems to have overcome his major injury – with a lot of help from mum and dad.”
He added: “For most eagles, a broken wing would be a death sentence as they’re unable to hunt and feed.
“But Kinky is a shining example of what perseverance can achieve.
“What the future holds for him now aged 2 years old is impossible to predict.
“But I wouldn’t mind betting he goes from strength to strength as he approaches adulthood in three years’ time.
“He’s one of Mother Nature’s survivors. What a bird!”
White-tailed eagles were reintroduced to Scotland 50 years ago after the species went extinct in the country in 1918, when the last native wild bird shot in Shetland.
A reintroduction project by NatureScot using chicks donated from Norway has seen them successfully re-establish a self-sustaining population, with an estimated 200 pairs now in the UK.
