Standing on the summit of Eriskay's highest hill, the sun disappears. A white-tailed eagle soars overhead, riding the thermals, and I am Lilliputian beneath its eight-foot wingspan. As its shadow passes over me, and the sunlight returns, the bird's Scottish Gaelic name comes to mind: iolaire sùil na grèine, the eagle with the sunlit eye.
The Hebrides are not only home to the UK's largest raptor; they're also one of the best places in Europe to see its smaller, but no less impressive cousin, the golden eagle. It's easy to confuse these two: the wings of the whitetailed are broader, and its tail, diamond-shaped, while the goldie's is rounded, like a fan. Thanks to the landmark 1975 reintroduction programme, white-tailed eagles now frequent these islands after a 240-year absence.
Historically,…
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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2025