Quote of the day

"Sea eagle predation is not a major cause of lamb mortality."

-A spokesman for Scottish Natural Heritage

Here's some exerpts from an article on the issue:

Conservationists are planning to bring the sea eagle, the UK's largest bird of prey, back to the skies above England.

The bird, known as "flying barn doors" because of its size, could be reintroduced into Norfolk next summer if the scheme gets the go-ahead.

It was driven out of England more than 200 years ago and had disappeared from the UK by 1918.

The plans come after the sea eagle, also known as the white-tailed eagle, was brought back to west Scotland in a project that began in 1975.

"They are also the missing piece in the jigsaw, the top predator which should be in a wetland ecosystem."

"A re-introduction must be done properly and with due regard to the people and wildlife nearby but, if it can be done, then the sight of eagles soaring over Norfolk would give a huge lift to people's spirits and to the local economy."

The reintroduction of the birds in Scotland has produced problems, including poisoning incidents and claims that the birds have been taking lambs.