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As part of the ambitious effort to reintroduce the sea eagle to the coasts of Co Kerry, ALLAN MEEtravelled to wildest Norway to seek suitable chicks to bring back to Ireland to breed.

IT IS A SWELTERING summer’s day in western Norway. High up in a big spruce tree, two well-grown white-tailed sea eagle chicks sit panting heavily in their big nest, trying to find some shade from the midsummer sun. Below, we prepare to climb the tree to collect one of the chicks to add to our collection of birds bound for Co Kerry. After climbing to the nest, we share the confined space with two rather alarmed eagle chicks. We take measurements of both chicks to decide which to take. Sea eagles are sexually dimorphic, females are significantly bigger than males. We need a male from this last nest so we take the smaller chick, lowering it to the ground in a bag on the end of a rope. It’s an undignified exit from its home, but the start of a new phase in its life that will, we hope, see eagle number 20 fly free in Kerry and contribute to efforts to restore this magnificent species to Ireland.