Watch White-tailed Eagles Nesting in North Uist
Filmed under licence from NatureScot
Follow the 2026 nesting season
🥚 First egg laid — 26 March 2026 🥚 Second egg laid — 29 March 2026 🐣 First hatch — 2 May 2026 🐣 Second chick pipping right now.
After 38 days of incubation, the first chick of 2026 hatched on the afternoon of 2 May. As we write, the second egg is pipping — the chick inside is working its way out of the shell, and a second hatch could happen at any moment.
Loki and Caitir are juggling shifts: brooding and feeding the new chick while finishing the last stretch of incubation on the second egg. Every visit to the camera right now could bring something new.
Don’t miss the next hatch — follow live. Hit subscribe on YouTube and follow on Facebook so the next milestone lands in your feed the moment it happens.
Why North Uist is one of the best places in Scotland to see white-tailed eagles
The Outer Hebrides has one of the highest densities of white-tailed eagles in the UK. From the lodges at Uist Forest Retreat on North Uist, sightings of the resident pair are a regular occurrence — whether soaring over the forest, hunting along the coastline, or returning to the nest. The retreat sits beside the RSPB Outer Hebrides Bird of Prey Trail, where all of the Outer Hebrides’ breeding raptor species can potentially be seen.
A licensed white-tailed eagle nest camera
The 2019 breeding season provided the first in-depth, extended study of white-tailed eagle diet and parental behaviour at the nest. Filming is carried out under licence from NatureScot, and we are incredibly privileged to have been granted that permission to observe these magnificent birds in their territory that surrounds Uist Forest Retreat.
White-Tailed Eagle Behaviour and Diet — What the Research Shows
A 2020 MSc study from Edinburgh Napier University analysed 2019 nest camera footage from their nest here in North Uist, to better understand white-tailed eagle behaviour and diet.
During the breeding season:
- 106 prey deliveries were recorded
- Birds made up 60% of the chick’s diet
- Greylag geese, ducks and gulls were common prey
- The female led nest care, while the male delivered most of the food
The research shows that this pair of North Uist sea eagles primarily relied on wild prey species during the breeding season. Despite being in a crofting landscape, no livestock were recorded as being delivered to the nest during the period studied. Read more: What we learned from watching 18 Weeks of White-Tailed Eagle Life on North Uist and
Sea eagles eat geese — could they be a crofter’s friend?
2026 — ongoing dietary research with Redwing Ecology
Most of what is known about white-tailed eagle diet in Scotland comes from analysis of food remains and pellets collected at nests and roost sites. That information doesn’t provide the full picture, and there are still considerable gaps in our knowledge of eagle diet and their interactions with other species.
This nest camera offers a rare opportunity for real-time, detailed study of diet — and the food-delivery footage being captured this season is contributing to ongoing dietary research with Redwing Ecology. Every prey delivery you watch live is also a data point.
Our thanks to the team that make this happen. Jamie Boyle, Sea Eagle Management Team (formerly RSPB Reserves Manager); Robin Reid, Redwing Ecology, Andrew Kent, NatureScot, Sea Eagle Management; Daniel Festorazzi, MSc Edinburgh Napier University; Mani Gurung, Axis Communications
We also pay special tribute to the late John Love, who played a pivotal role in the reintroduction of white-tailed eagles from Norway in 1975. We were privileged to have his support in developing this research. John sadly passed away in 2024 and is fondly remembered for his dedication to the species’ recovery in the UK, in addition to being a valued member of the community in Uist.
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