It’s been a week since the announcement that three pairs of juvenile White Tailed Eagles were released on the Isle of Wight.
Bird lovers have been keeping their eyes peeled to the skies all week in the hope of spotting at least one of the birds.
Those who have seen them are, or obvious reasons, keeping the location to themselves and one photographer said the Isle of Wight branch of the Ornithological Society had asked them to not reveal the location when posting photos.
HD photos
Our thanks to Ainsley Bennett who shared these wonderful shots of one of the new arrivals to the Island.
How to spot a White Tailed Eagle
Many have mistaken buzzards for the new arrivals, but we’re told that when you see the White Tailed Eagle alongside a Buzzard in the sky, you’ll easily be able to see the difference.
The image below shows two Buzzards closely mobbing a young White Tailed Eagle.
Wildlife photographer, Nick Edwards, said,
“Even as young juveniles, they resemble ‘flying planks’, the wing proportions are so massive in comparison with buzzards, harriers etc.
“I remember being amazed at seeing a fledgling when I was working on the Swedish/Norwegian coastal border and realising that I still was unlikely to mistake it for smaller birds of prey!”
Keep shtum
If you are lucky enough to spot the White Tailed Eagles over the Isle of Wight, do remember to keep the location to yourself.
This is to protect the birds that are being reintroduced to the South of England after 240 years as part of a five-year programme to restore the lost species.
