A white-tailed eagle chick has died from avian flu on the Isle of Mull, sparking fresh fears of the impact of the disease on the bird's population. The discovery was made following testing of the dead chick's body by expert climbers, who scaled Sitka trees to access the nests of suspected deaths.
Over the last few weeks, chicks from at least four white-tailed eagle nests on the island have either died on the nest shortly before or after fledging. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says that deaths at this stage of the chicks' lives are unusual, prompting an investigation for HPAI swabbing and testing.
The bodies at two further nests were too decomposed to be inspected. Bird flu in Scotland was confirmed earlier this year - with visitors earlier banned from the Treshnish Isles, near the Isle of Mull, as a preventative measure.
