THE wildlife cameraman, presenter and Strictly Come Dancing winner Hamza Yassin is set to speak at a festival celebrating record numbers of golden eagles in southern Scotland.
The Moffat Eagle Festival is due to take place between September 6 – 8 and will welcome Yassin as the keynote speaker.
Moffat became the UK’s first official Eagle Town in 2021 after playing an important role in the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.
The project aimed to reinforce the fragile population of golden eagles in the south of Scotland through a mixture of translocations, satellite tagging, and community engagement.
Over the winter months a number of young golden eagles aged between six months and three years were released in the south of Scotland.
It brings the total population of golden eagles in southern skies to 47 – the highest number recorded in the area over the past three decades.
Yassin, who was crowned Strictly champion alongside partner Jowita Prystal in 2022, said he hoped that golden eagles would soon be seen right across the UK.
“Golden eagles are my absolutely favourite bird of prey, so it is a real privilege to headline the prestigious Moffat Eagle Festival in the UK’s first official Eagle Town and to support the fantastic work of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project,” he said.
“It’s truly wonderful to hear that there are new record numbers of golden eagles soaring in southern Scottish skies thanks to the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.
“My hope is that soon these majestic birds will be seen right across the UK.”
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The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project team successfully caught, transported and released eight free flying golden eagles from the Outer Hebrides between 2023 and 2024, bringing the total number of sub adult birds released to 15.
The birds were released almost immediately on arrival in a secret location in the southern uplands of Scotland.
The team previously also collected 28 eagle chicks from the Highlands and Islands and released them in southern Scotland from 2018 to 2023.
Some of these birds have settled together and have begun building large nests or eyries in the region.
In 2022, the project became the first in the world to successfully translocate seven free-flying young golden eagles to boost the low population.
Dr Cat Barlow, project manager for the project, said: “This novel-approach has provided a significant boost in our efforts to ensure golden eagles truly flourish in southern skies and is proving to be a groundbreaking technique for global raptor conservation management.
“This achievement was only possible thanks to the support of National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, our project staff and partners, NatureScot licensing team, raptor specialists, Advisory Panel members, estates, gamekeepers, CalMac Ferries, and of course the community in the south of Scotland. We’re incredibly grateful to them all.
“We look forward to celebrating all our successes at the next Moffat Eagle Festival. We’re really honoured that Hamza Yassin, one of the world’s top advocates for golden eagles, has agreed to be our keynote speaker.“
The community-led Moffat Eagle Festival is the first of its kind in the UK.
Now in its fourth year, this year’s festival programme includes: a chance to meet a real eagle, a farmers’ market, an eagle ride out on motorbike, a book event, an Eagle Hill Fell Run, live music, as well as talks by wildlife author Jim Crumley and Peter Cairns from rewilding charity Scotland: The Big Picture.
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