As the New Year begins, we thought News OnTheWight readers might be interested in hearing an update about some of the White-tailed Eagles that have been released on the Isle of Wight in the last few years.
Restoring the lost species
In August 2019 three pairs of juvenile White-Tailed Eagles (sometimes referred to as Sea Eagles) were released on the Island as part of a five-year programme to restore this lost species, led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation (RDWF).
In summer 2020, seven more were released, and in 2021 another 12 were released on the Island.
Well established partnerships
In his latest blog, Roy Dennis reports that two territorial pairs of White-tailed Eagles are now well established in the South, one pair from the Island and another in Poole.
Roy explains,
“G274 and G324 were part of the first cohort of six young eagles released by us and Forestry England, our project partner, on the Isle of Wight in August 2019.
“They paired up very early, in autumn 2020, and have remained together since. They have become fiercely territorial of two coastal sites on the Isle of Wight and as they approach their fifth calendar year, the two birds look resplendent in near full adult plumage.”
Hopes for spring breeding
Steve Egerton-Read is the FE Project Officer based on the Island. He’s been keeping a close eye on the two birds, particularly in relation to their diet and has discovered that the two birds “readily catch both marine and freshwater fish throughout the year and are also proficient at predating any weak or injured Canada Geese, as well as a range of other bird species, particularly corvids and gulls”.
He says the are also expert at stealing food from other species, including Grey Herons, and Marsh Harriers.
Roy says,
“We are hopeful that the two birds may show the first signs of breeding behaviour in the spring, and will be monitored closely.”
Overwhelming support
In his latest blog, Roy also explained that a recent Forestry England public questionnaire – a repeat of the one that was run when RDWF first proposed the project – revealed that the public’s attitude towards the reintroduction of White-tailed Eagles is overwhelmingly supportive.
In fact, he says it is “even more so than when our idea was first suggested five years ago”. The full results of that questionnaire will be released in the near future.
Roy said,
“It was valuable to know that people are really keen that more reintroductions of lost species are undertaken.”
Read Roy’s New Year blog in full by heading over to the RDWF Website and finding out about the other birds that were released on the Island.
Image: © G274 and G324 in 2020 with kind permission of Ainsley Bennett Photography
