The sea eagle
In the last Litir, I was telling you about Loch an Iasgair near the
Fionn Loch. The name means ‘the loch of the osprey’. In his book
A Hundred Years in the Highlands
, Osgood Mackenzie tells us also about another eagle in the area at
that time – the sea eagle.
There was an island in the Fionn Loch called ‘the island of the eagle’.
Sea eagles were nesting there. When a small boat was put on the loch
for fishing, the nest was no longer safe. People were stealing the eggs
from the nest.
The sea eagles left. They built a nest high in the mountains. But they
weren’t safe even there. Osgood was an egg thief. It’s difficult to
read his account without getting angry!
‘When I was no more than seven or eight years old,’ he wrote, ‘I was
already quite a keen collector of eggs, and greatly coveted a clutch of
those of the sea eagle, which were always rare in this district ... I
gave my mother no peace until she had arranged an expedition to the
nest ... we went on horseback, with an expert climber and ropes.’
Osgood reached the ledge where the nest was. But the eggs had already
been stolen. The day before, a shepherd on the estate, where the nest
was, had gone there. He took the eggs with him to sell, because he had
heard they were valuable. Osgood was angry.
However, Osgood belonged to the gentry, and he was wealthy. He gave money
to the shepherd who gave him the eggs. Osgood went home with the large,
pale eggs. He was filled with happiness. If you look for words of regret
about the damage he did, you’ll be disappointed. It wasn’t long until the
sea eagle became extinct in Scotland. Like the osprey, however, it has
returned here, and it is in Wester Ross again.
An Iolair-mhara
Anns an Litir mu dheireadh, bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Loch an Iasgair faisg
air an Fhionn Loch. Tha an t-ainm a’ ciallachadh ‘loch na h-iolair-uisge’.
Anns an leabhar aige A Hundred Years in the Highlands, tha Osgood
MacCoinnich ag innse dhuinn cuideachd mu iolair eile anns an sgìre aig an
àm sin – an iolair-mhara.
Bha eilean anns an Fhionn Loch air an robh Eilean na h-Iolaire mar ainm.
Bha iolairean-mara a’ neadachadh ann. Nuair a chaidh bàta beag a chur air
an loch airson iasgach, cha robh an nead sàbhailte tuilleadh. Bha daoine a’
goid nan uighean às an nead.
Dh’fhalbh na h-iolairean-mara. Thog iad nead ùr gu h-àrd anns na beanntan.
Ach cha robh iad sàbhailte eadhon an sin. Bha Osgood na mhèirleach uighean.
Tha e doirbh an cunntas aige a leughadh gun a bhith a’ fàs feargach!
‘Nuair nach robh mi ach seachd no ochd bliadhna a dh’aois,’
sgrìobh e,
‘bha mi mu-thràth an sàs ann an goid uighean, agus bha mi miannach air
feadhainn aig an iolair-mhara, a bha riamh gann anns an sgìre seo ...
Cha tug mi fois gu mo mhàthair gus an robh i air turas a chur air dòigh
don nead ... chaidh sinn ann air muin-eich, le sreapadair comasach agus
ròpan nar cois.’
Ràinig Osgood an leac air an robh an nead. Ach bha na h-uighean air an goid
mu-thràth. An latha roimhe, bha cìobair na h-oighreachd, air an robh an
nead, air a dhol ann. Thug e na h-uighean leis airson reic, oir bha e air
cluinntinn gun robh luach annta. Bha Osgood fiadhaich.
Ge-tà, bhuineadh Osgood do na h-uaislean, agus bha e beartach. Thug e
airgead don chìobair, agus thug esan na h-uighean seachad. Chaidh Osgood
dhachaigh leis na h-uighean mòra, bana. Bha toileachas na chridhe. Ma tha
sibh a’ coimhead airson faclan aithreachais aige mun sgrios a rinn e, bidh
briseadh-dùil agaibh. Cha b’ fhada gus an deach an iolair-mhara à bith ann
an Alba. Coltach ris an iolair-uisge, ge-tà, tha i air tilleadh ann, agus
tha i ann an Ros an Iar a-rithist.
