Always a welcome sight, Golden Eagles continue to show well above the village...raising the intriguing prospect of a nest-site being close by. Kiersten snapped this pair showing typical courtship behaviour. Displaying birds circle high up, sometimes so close they almost appear to touch, and will fold their wings and plunge dramatically before repeating this in a series of loops. Searching the crags above the village for signs of their huge nests has become a priority for the coming weeks...

The Golden Eagle has a widespread but sparse distribution over much of western Europe. It's strongholds include Scotland, Spain, parts of Scandinavia, Italy, the Balkans and the Alps. A bird of remote mountain cliffs and peaks, the Golden Eagle shuns towns and villages, roads and other developments over much of its range...the regular close encounters we have with this magnificent bird of prey are by no means usual.

As the weather slowly improves we'll be monitoring all our local eagles closely, and have every hope that "Goldies" will be holding territories locally throughout the summer months. Hopefully we'll locate an actual nest or "eyrie".  A Golden Eagle nest is a truly enormous pile of sticks and branches, usually located on a high, inaccessible ledge or at the top of an old tree. If the birds are undisturbed, nests are added to and re-used each year. With what appear to be established pairs in the area there's a very real chance we'll find such a site and we'll be able to follow the progress of a nesting pair through the season.

Keep checking the Tour Diaries for all the news as we continue to update our reports regularly...we'll keep you posted with all the latest bird of prey action!