Sea eagle 'Alan' soars over Scotland

"Alan", one of 15 chicks collected from nests in Norway and brought to Scotland in June, was named by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds after discussions with Thomas's widow, Mary.

The white-tailed sea eagle was released in Fife, eastern Scotland, in an ongoing project aimed at re-introducing the species to the region. The birds are known as "flying barn doors" because of their huge wingspan - up to 8 feet (nearly 2.5 metres) - and are Scotland's largest bird of prey.

"Alan" and other newly released sea eagles now soaring in Scottish skies are radio-tagged so that their progress can be tracked.

Alan Thomas, who died suddenly on 22 April aged 65, was an avid bird-watcher. The £800 collected at his funeral on 10 May founded the Alan Thomas Feather Fund for ongoing care of the birds through the RSPB. It was the largest such collection ever received by the organisation.

"Alan told me before he died that sea eagles were going to be released and he was very excited about it," Mary said. “‘Alan’ is now flying over the countryside where we spent our last holiday together.”

BBC video report ■