[TN-Bird] Golden eagle
- From: Thais Carr <thaiscarr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 01 Nov 2006 08:54:27 -0600
I thought fellow birders might enjoy this article about the possible
adoption of the golden eagle as the national bird of Scotland.
Thais Carr, Thompsons Station
Wed 1 Nov 2006
The golden eagle may soon join the thistle and the saltire as a Scottish
icon.
NEW Zealand has the kiwi, Antigua has the frigate bird and Belize has the
keel-billed toucan - but Scotland has nothing.
A total of 90 countries around the world, and numerous states and provinces=
,
have a national bird. Scotland is not one of them but that omission could
soon be reversed thanks to a decision by MSPs last night.
The parliament's enterprise and culture committee decided to pursue a
campaign for the golden eagle to be adopted as Scotland's national bird, an=
d
will commission a series of studies into the viability of the scheme. MSPs
want to explore the economic benefits of adopting a national bird and
discover who is actually responsible for taking such a decision.
By early next year, the committee will analyse its findings, with a view to
putting the proposal to the full parliament for a debate and a vote - a
process which could see the golden eagle installed as Scotland's official
national bird by next year's election in May.
The committee's decision represents a considerable success for the Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds in Scotland and The Scotsman, which hav=
e
campaigned for two years for official recognition for the golden eagle.
The golden eagle was chosen as the iconic bird of Scotland in a poll which
ran in The Scotsman in the summer of 2004, the centenary of RSPB Scotland.
The eagle beat a number of other birds to the title, including the red
grouse, osprey and capercaillie.
Annabel Goldie, leader of the Scottish Tories and a keen bird-watcher,
championed the eagle in the original contest.
James Reynolds, the head of media at the RSPB and a former environment
correspondent of The Scotsman, told MSPs why he believed the golden eagle
deserved official recognition.
"It seemed [in 2004] that the time was right to offer for adoption a new
national symbol of Scotland to join the thistle, the lion rampant and the
saltire," he said.
"There is something undeniably special about birds and the way in which the=
y
connect people to nature. As national symbols, birds undoubtedly engender a
sense of pride in one's nation and have many positive spin-offs,
particularly for tourism."
Mr Reynolds said the golden eagle was already the "unofficial emblem of
Scotland", claiming it captured much of what many believe to be the very
best aspects of the country.
"Using its natural resilience, intelligence and supremely adapted senses, i=
t
has survived in this environment in spite of us through periods of
persecution and hardship to win international regard," he said.
Mr Reynolds told MSPs that many tourists came to Scotland just to see the
golden eagle, a bird which has all but vanished from the rest of the UK.
He was supported by David Lee, theassistant editor of The Scotsman, who
urged MSPs to back the plan, warning that it would be a wasted opportunity
if they decided not to.
Mr Lee said: "This just seems like a tremendous opportunity to adopt the
golden eagle. It runs right through the whole of Scottish history, from the
distant past to the present."
Jamie Stone, Liberal Democrat MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross=
,
said: "If it encourages people to come to my constituency to see golden
eagles, I'm all for it."
And Shiona Baird of the Green Party, said: "It is really important to get
people thinking about wildlife."
There were some sceptics, particularly Labour MSPs Christine May and Karen
Gillon, who claimed that the initiative to win recognition for the golden
eagle might be nothing more than a publicity stunt.
Alex Neil, the SNP convener of the committee, said that a stunt was not a
bad thing if it had the potential to attract more tourists to Scotland.
He said: "It may be that a stunt is actually potentially beneficial."
Mr Neil secured the committee's approval to take the issue forward - by
writing to VisitScotland and the minister for tourism to ask for their view=
s
on potential spin-offs and asking the Lord Lyon if his approval is needed t=
o
adopt a national symbol.
ANNABEL GOLDIE'S VIEW
THIS land of ours is one of rugged grandeur - mountains, granite and glen,
loch, river and sea. The spirit of our people down the ages has been
invincible. Our resilience, quick-wittedness and sharp eye for opportunity
have earned us international regard.
What more fitting avian emblem could we have than the golden eagle? It is
synonymous with Scotland, living and nesting in the mountainous terrain so
characteristic of our country.
The golden eagle doesn't merely deserve to be our national bird, it has an
irrefutable entitlement.
=80 Annabel Goldie, MSP, is the leader of the Scottish Conservative Party.
Related topic
Birds of prey
http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=3D270
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=3D1613552006
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