# First golden eagle chick takes wing from southern Scotland grouse moor

> A young eagle named Beaky Junior has left its nest on a managed grouse moor in the Moffat Hills, a first for the area, with gamekeepers' help.

- Published: 2026-10-30 by Tickety-Boo News
- Section: Animals
- Location: Scotland, UK
- Web page: https://ticketyboonews.co.uk/stories/first-golden-eagle-chick-takes-wing-from-southern-scotland-grouse-moor/
- Original report: [What makes this golden eagle chick so important?](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq4g1jyj9dv7o) (BBC News (Science & Environment))

## In brief

- A golden eagle chick named Beaky Junior is the first to fledge on a managed grouse moor in southern Scotland.
- Five chicks have fledged in the area this year from nests of translocated eagles.
- Southern Scotland's golden eagle population has reached a record of more than 50 since the project began in 2018.

A young golden eagle called Beaky Junior has become the first of its kind to take flight from a nest on a working grouse moor in southern Scotland. The chick hatched at an undisclosed spot in the Moffat Hills, on ground used for shooting gamebirds for sport.

It is one of five eagle chicks to have left the nest in the area this year, all of them from the nests of birds brought south under a scheme to build up numbers. The project, run by Restoring Upland Nature (Run), began moving eagles from the Highlands to the Moffat Hills in the summer of 2018.

At that time, breeding pairs in the south had dwindled to a handful. The population now exceeds 50, the highest on record, even though the project has suffered setbacks along the way, including birds being shot at or killed.

That history is why the location of this particular nest matters so much. Earlier this year, the RSPB published a report on the persecution of birds of prey across Scotland over a decade. Of 182 confirmed cases, 64.3% happened on land managed for gamebird shooting.

Local gamekeepers chose the chick's name, a nod to the part they have played in helping the eagles settle and thrive. They have asked not to be identified, so that the nest stays safe from unwelcome attention.

Dr Cat Barlow, Run's chief executive, said landowners and gamekeepers had backed the work at every stage, from the Highland translocations to the ongoing monitoring and protection of nests. She described the five fledglings as a "hugely significant milestone". Michael Clarke, who chairs Run, said people from every background had contributed, and that monitoring would carry on with the support of land managers, farmers and the wider community.

Sarah-Jane Laing, of Scottish Land and Estates, said her organisation was thrilled by the chick's name. She saw it as proof of what can be achieved when estates and conservationists share a vision built on trust. Mark Ewart, of the Southern Uplands Moorlands Group, added that meeting golden eagles day after day is the best measure of how well the partnership is working.

## Why it matters

Golden eagles are among Britain's most striking birds, and illegal persecution, much of it linked to land managed for shooting, has long held back their recovery. A chick leaving the nest safely on a grouse moor, with gamekeepers helping to look after it, suggests that estates and conservationists can pull in the same direction. That is a cracking result for a species that once clung on in tiny numbers, and a welcome boost to wider efforts to reverse the decline of wildlife.