Scotland's first Golden Eagle Festival planned for September 2021

Scotland's first ever Golden Eagle Festival will be held in Moffat (Scottish Gaelic: Mofad) between 19 and 26 September 2021. Moffat is located in the Dumfries and Galloway (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) area in Scotland. The Moffat Hills cover some 300 square kilometres of hills, noted for their outstanding scenery and rich wildlife. In the past it was home to a number of Golden Eagles, but as the result of deliberate persecution and land use changes their numbers declined to critical levels. The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project have been at the forefront of trying to increase numbers in the area. The Eagle Festival is a way of building support for this programme. Leading wildlife film maker Gordon Buchanan will deliver the keynote speech at the Festival.

The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project is an organisation with the aim to support and boost the numbers of Golden Eagles in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway. The Golden Eagle is one of the most impressive birds in Scotland. They live in the wild, open moorlands and mountains of Scotland and are found in the Scottish Highlands and most of the Hebrides. Golden Eagles have a long history in the South of Scotland, where populations were once healthy. Over the last two hundred years human activity and changes in land use has caused populations in the south to fall dramatically. Four chicks have now been relocated to Dumfries and Galloway from the Highlands as part of ongoing efforts to increase the region's population.

Image:Golden Eagle courtesy of RSPB.