A sea eagle has been spotted near Dingwall, apparently eating a newborn lamb as a ewe was still lambing its twin.

John Fyall captured footage of what appears to be a white-tailed eagle attacking one of his ewes and lambs.

Mr Fyall said: “This morning a break in the weather was a relief in the lambing field, but between 6am and 7am a ewe lambing twins had her first lamb ok and I left her be and went for breakfast.

The Scottish Farmer: The sea eagle could be seen swooping down on lambs (Photo: John Fyall)The sea eagle could be seen swooping down on lambs (Photo: John Fyall)

"Before she got the second out it appears the first lamb was killed. The ewe couldn't keep the eagle away from her second lamb and it tried to carry one away."

He continued: "I'm quite happy to be corrected but standing as big as a ewe I am quite certain it is a white-tailed eagle. Absolutely awesome to see it charging off a 85kg ewe but heart breaking to see it just sitting there waiting on me to leave.”

READ MORE | West coast farmers deem delayed eagle contracts 'unacceptable'

Predation by white-tailed eagles on lambs and sheep remains a major concern for sheep farmers, especially on the west coast of Scotland.

This attack comes hot on the heels of the news that hundreds of west coast farmers and crofters are yet to receive contracts for this year’s Sea Eagle Management Scheme (SEMS).

The scheme, which supports sheep producers affected by white-tailed sea eagles on their land, is typically confirmed with applicants at the start of each year.

The Scottish Farmer has contacted NatureScot for comment on this incident. See this week's Scottish Farmer for the full story (20th April 2024)