A couple of months back, the UK’s bird watchers were treated to some major news – a golden eagle had been spotted in England.
In May, a wildlife enthusiast had spotted the bird soaring over Northumberland National Park, and it was later confirmed that this was an eagle named Talla, one of up to 50 gold eagles that live in the Scottish Borders. At the time Mike Pratt, CEO of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust said that it was ‘almost like the golden eagles giving their blessing and saying that the landscape can take them’.
Now, experts are expected to confirm that there are enough suitable sites in England to support a full reintroduction of golden eagles. It would be the first time that a population of the majestic birds (whose wings span over two metres) has lived here in 150 years – they were eradicated in the nineteenth century due to hunting and being seen as threat to livestock. The last golden eagle known to live in England vanished from its reserve in the Lake District in 2015.
Overseen by the environment secretary Steve Reed, Forestry England has conducted a feasibility study into whether and how the species could be reintroduced. The results of the study won’t be published for several months but, according to the Guardian, it’s understood that the country does have the capacity to support a thriving population of golden eagles.
If a reintroduction programme is given the go ahead (it needs to follow guidelines from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and be licensed by Natural England), the focus would be on the north of England. For sites to be suitable, they must be home to ample prey for the birds – live grouse, rabbits, hares or even deer calves, badgers and fox cubs.
It’s likely to follow the same model as the 2018 reintroduction scheme in Scotland, which saw chicks taken from broods of two in established populations when they were around six to eight weeks old, then fed with minimal human contact before they were released at specially chosen sites and provided with food until they could hunt for themselves. The south of Scotland’s golden eagle population has since grown from three or four pairs to more than 50.
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: ‘The recovery of golden eagles offers hope for the future of the species in Britain. Any next steps of their reintroduction in England will be set out in due course.’
Wild Britain
Golden eagles are the latest in a long line of creatures making a comeback to England. Last month, we reported that spoonbills – one of Europe’s rarest birds – had started breeding in the UK, and back in November, we revealed that sea eagles were returning after 200 years of extinction. The common crane has also recently reappeared, as have beavers. Plus, a long lost big cat could be brought back to Britain and rare white storks could come back to London for the first time in 600 years.
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