A white-tailed eagle named Aspen hatched in Glengarriff Nature Reserve in County Cork last year as part of a reintroduction programme. The bird left its birthplace on 22 March. Over 48 days a satellite tracker followed its path through 26 counties across Ireland, including five in Northern Ireland.

Aspen entered Northern Ireland counties Armagh, Down, Tyrone, Londonderry and Fermanagh. The tracker showed it moving through Leinster, Ulster and Connaught before returning to Munster. Ecologist Clare Heardman with National Parks and Wildlife Service tagged the bird at eight weeks old. She noted Aspen completed a large loop of Munster on its first solo flight.

White-tailed eagles represent the largest bird of prey species in the UK and Ireland. The reintroduction programme began in 2007 using birds from Norway. In 2024 a pair bred in County Fermanagh, the first in Northern Ireland in over 150 years.

Dr Eimear Rooney of the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group stated young eagles often wander in spring on air currents and cover long distances quickly. The bird's path followed coasts and wetlands due to its diet of fish and marine life. It also scavenges carrion inland on higher ground.

Adolescent eagles face risks including poisoning. In May 2023 two white-tailed eagles died from poisoning in County Antrim. Heardman monitors about 90 eagles currently.