A wildlife lover has been re-united with his lost golden eagle thanks to a group of hard-working gamekeepers.
Falconer Les Gibson, 54, lost his two-year-old feathered friend Odin when he was flying him around the breathtaking landscapes of Glen Muick in Aberdeenshire last week.
But the young eagle fell victim to unusually high winds, and was blown away, towards the neighbouring Glen Tanar.
Despite lengthy searches, Mr Gibson, who had been in the north-east on holiday from his home in County Durham, had to call off his search late last week as severe weather ripped through the region.
Desperate to find Odin, Mr Gibson, who has more than 20 years of experience flying buzzards and hawks, took to social media to ask members of the public to keep an eye out for his predator pal.
And, after days of insomnia and worry over the fate of his cherished bird, Mr Gibson’s prayers were answered when a gamekeeper at the Millden Estate in Angus spotted an eagle wearing falconer’s leather straps, or jesses, on its talons.
Mark Palmer, head gamekeeper of the Millden Estate, said: “I had seen the posts about the lost eagle, so I contacted Mr Gibson and told him we had spotted a bird with jesses on its feet.
“Les came up, stayed over locally on the Friday night and we went out onto the moor to have a look on Saturday.
“We went out onto the top of the hill and saw a good sheltered bit where an eagle would look to find prey.
“We started looking around and there he was, about 200 yards away.”
Using a brown hare as a lure, Mr Gibson managed to coax Odin back into his rightful place on his falconry glove.
Mr Gibson said: “It was unbelievable to see him again. I didn’t sleep a wink after he went missing.
“I had people calling me and saying he had been seen in Aberdeen and in car parks in Dundee.
“When I got the call from Mark, I knew that was more likely.
“I’d like to thank the gamekeepers at Millden for looking out and acting so quickly.”