Sir, - I note with some concern (The Irish Times, April 18th) a proposal to artificially change the native Irish breeding bird fauna by artificial re-introduction of golden eagles from Scotland.
The artificial re-introduction of any species into Ireland means that Ireland will only have the species present in the form of released transported individuals, which at best will have escapee or feral status, and cannot be regarded as part of Ireland's naturally occurring fauna. It would in effect amount to a counterfeiting or "faking" of a golden eagle population as part of Ireland's naturally occurring wildlife heritage.
Introducing a locally extinct species to its former range may be justifiable if the species is globally threatened in all of its surviving home range, as has been the case with the California condor, of which the naturally occurring population became reduced to three individuals, all males. However, in the case of the golden eagle, there is the distinct possibility that an attempt at natural recolonisation could occur, and if that highly desirable event happened it would be obscured, contaminated and its significance lost through the presence of artificially introduced birds. Since their extinction around 1910, golden eagles have recolonised Ireland naturally, in 1953 (breeding ceasing after 1960), and there is one reported present in Ireland now.
You have also, Sir, reported on a proposal to import Polish partridges to interbreed with the extremely depleted native stock. This too is unfortunate, and should not be undertaken unless absolutely essential, but unlike the golden eagle, the partridge is absolutely sedentary and non-migratory, so the possibility of natural colonisation does not occur. I understand also that, being an edible game-bird, the species has probably been imported several times already. The issue here is the choice between precarious survival of a perhaps pure native stock, and more secure survival of an impure stock partly supported by introductions from the continent. Neither may have a very good chance of survival unless their natural habitat can be guarded effectively against deterioration.
The rational way to improve and enhance the fauna of breeding birds of Ireland (or anywhere else) is to improve habitat and reduce threats, and there are a number of species which would breed in Ireland more frequently if provided with good habitat and security from persecution. The biggest category of these species is that of wetland breeders, and I have personally seen three rare and irregular breeding species with young (black-necked grebe, pintail and garganey) in wetland habitats which subsequently became impossible for breeding due to drying out, in at least two cases due to drainage. Wetland drainage has lost Ireland more breeding species (black-necked grebe, bittern, and march harrier, rednecked phalarope and yellow wagtail) than has raptor persecution (two eagle species and possibly marsh harrier to some extent). It remains a reason why a number of other species which breed regularly in Britain (wigeon, pintail, garganey, spotted crake, black-tailed godwit, bearded tit) fail to gain a permanent foothold here, while shoveler and pochard have tiny Irish breeding populations compared with their British ones.
The next most degraded breeding habitat is probably farmland, where modernisation has probably lost us the corn bunting, severely endangered the grey partridge and corncrake, and greatly reduced barn owl, skylark and meadow pipit populations. - Yours, etc.,
Paul Hillis, Chairman, Irish Wildbird Conservancy, 1990-1992, Knocknashee, Dublin 14.