The return of white-tailed eagles to England has reached its next key milestone with the successful release of a further 7 birds on the Isle of Wight.
The 5-year reintroduction programme, now in its second year, is led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and aims to restore this lost species after an absence of 240 years.
Up to 60 white-tailed eagles will be released with the aim of establishing an initial population of 6- 8 breeding pairs on the Isle of Wight and along the mainland coast. The first 6 birds were released at Bouldnor last year and now another 7 have been introduced into the wild. It will take several years for the young birds to become established and breeding is not expected to start until at least 2024.
Each bird is fitted with a satellite tracker to enable the team to monitor and track their progress. Evidence from similar reintroductions suggests that the rate of survival to breeding age is around 40%, and 4 of the 6 birds released last year have survived and are doing well. That means there are now 11 white-tailed eagles living in the South.
Roy Dennis, Founder of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation said:
“We are delighted that we have been able to release this next group of birds this year as planned. We have seen from other reintroduction programmes that returning lost species offers real benefits for the health of our environment, and to people and local economies. This is particularly important at these difficult times as people rediscover nature and its benefits.
“It has been very exciting to follow the exploratory flights of the birds we released last year and to see how they are learning to live successfully in the English landscape. We have been particularly encouraged that the birds have been catching Grey Mullet in the estuaries of the Isle of Wight because we believe this will become an important food source as the population develops, and is one of the key reasons we considered the Isle of Wight and the South Coast suitable for a reintroduction.”
“A project like this relies upon the involvement and support of many, many people. I would like to thank everyone who has helped us again this year including the local organisations and individuals on our steering group. We look forward to the day when these amazing birds become a regular feature in the skies above us.”
Article continues below this advertisement
Steve Egerton-Read, White-Tailed Eagle Project Officer, Forestry England, said:
“We are now a year on from the release of the first white-tailed eagles and it’s very encouraging to see them doing well. We have been following their movements closely using the satellite monitoring, field visits and reports from members of the public.
“It will be fascinating to see how the young birds released this summer explore and how they interact with the slightly older birds released in 2019. Thank you to everyone who continues to support us by reporting observations and photos of the birds as they travel around the country, we are always keen to hear about your amazing sightings.”
The Isle of Wight was chosen as the location to reintroduce the white-tailed eagles, also known as sea eagles, as it offers an ideal habitat for these coastal loving birds with plentiful sources of food in the surrounding waters. It also offers a central position on the south coast allowing the birds to disperse and link with other populations in Scotland, Ireland and on the continent.
We are pleased to able to share the news that the return of white-tailed eagles to England has reached its next milestone! Over recent weeks the project led by @ForestryEngland & @RoyDennisWF has successfully released a further 7 birds on the Isle of Wight. 🦅🦅#whitetailedeagles pic.twitter.com/8g3cRGWura
— Sea Eagle England (@SeaEagleEngland) August 18, 2020
Saw one hunting at Porchfield beach only last week. Beautiful huge birds.
Mind the vicious dogs at Elmsworth farm if out twitching.
Oh how I remember all the comments about cats, dogs, small children and such going missing if they released these birds!
I said then that it was a load of rubbish and it was a great thing for the birds and the island.
Where’s all the reports of Dorris’ chihuahua getting carried off in to the sky!! Rubbish.
Good to see another 7 beautiful creatures being repopulated to nature.
Contrived nature
Agree with you. He’s a proper piece of door furniture. Otherwise, really big knobs available at Hurst! X love you all, my darlings. Lady Longdown.
keep taking your pill