The BBC Online www.bbc.co.uk reported the following on the 21 April:
The fortunes of 60 lambs are to be monitored from birth to weaning to help determine whether large numbers of livestock fall prey to sea eagles. Crofters on Skye and in Wester Ross have claimed the UK's biggest raptors feed on their stock.
Lambs on two holdings in Gairloch, Wester Ross, will be radio tagged and observed by field workers.
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has appointed FERA (Food and Environment Research Agency) to do the study.
Each death will be mapped and the carcass traced and recovered to allow a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.
SNH head of policy and advice, Ron Macdonald, said the investigation followed discussions with crofters, farmers and land managers. He added: "The project will deliver an unprecedented level of detail for mapping the extent and cause of lamb mortality in typical Highland conditions which, in turn, will provide an assessment of sea eagle impact.
"The study will also provide recommendations on the management of stock and sea eagles so as to reduce potential conflict."
Last year, crofters said four holdings on the Gairloch Peninsula lost more than 200 lambs between May and September and were adamant that the majority were victims of the sea eagle.
Willie Fraser, a local crofter and member of the project steering group, said of the new study: "The most important outcome for crofters will be to help minimise this problem in the area and ensure the continued viability of sheep rearing as an economic activity in the west Highlands."
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