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Eddie's parents finally get their ‘empty nest'

January 3rd, 2017 10:10 PM

By Southern Star Team

Eddie the Eagle has taken off from Glengarriff. (Photo: Valerie O'Sullivan)

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Eddie the Eagle has finally left home!

EDDIE the Eagle has finally left home!

The Southern Star reported in November that Eddie was refusing to let his parents become empty nesters – in their home in Glengarriff. 

While this year’s local crop of six young white-tailed sea eagle chicks were all busy exploring the wider world around them – Eddie, the Glengarriff chick, was continuing to let his Mum and Dad feed him. 

But Glengarriff Nature Reserve conservation ranger Clare Heardman confirmed this week that, just a few weeks ago, Eddie left home for good.

‘He finally left around Nov 10th,’ she said. ‘He was the last of the six chicks hatched around the country this year to leave home. The adults are still around and have even started building up the nest again, so hopefully there will be more good news next year!’ she said.

The eagles’ nest was on Garinish Island, but for a while the location was being kept vague. ‘The parents had lost a chick at two weeks old in 2014 and at 10 weeks old last year, so we were taking no chances this year,’ said Ms Heardman. 

‘Eddie finally made history as the first wild-born eagle to hatch and fly in Co Cork in over 100 years. He was also a huge attraction for tourists visiting Garinish.’

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