Huge news for birdwatchers everywhere: golden eagles are making a comeback in the UK.
You might associate eagles with America, but certain species, including golden eagles, are also native to Britain. These bushy-feathered birds ruled our skies for centuries, but went functionally extinct from the UK after they were hunted by humans in the 19th century.
After a brief reappearance in the late 20th century, the birds disappeared completely from England back in 2015. A decade later, however, hope is not lost.
Wildlife lover Ian Glendinning told the BBC: ‘I was driving in a remote corner of the [Northumberland] national park with a couple of friends and the rear passenger suddenly shouted out “what on earth is that?”
‘I looked over to my right and about 30 metres away there he [the eagle] was, sitting on a rocky outcrop.’
The bird he’s referring to is a young gentleman named Talla, who experts estimate is one of up to 50 gold eagles living in the Scottish borders, some of which are now making the journey across the border. The birds are occasionally spotted in the Highlands and remote areas of northern Scotland, but seeing them make their way back to England is a big deal. According to Mike Pratt, CEO of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust ‘the sightings are almost like the golden eagles giving their blessing and saying that the landscape can take them.
'They don't see a border and the landscape either side of the borders of England and Scotland is so similar it's not a surprise they're coming south.'
These aren’t the first birds to make a triumphant return in recent months either. Back in November white-tailed eagles, the biggest species of eagle in the UK, also dusted off their wings as conservationists began the process to reintroduce the newly-bred birds last seen in the UK in the 1780s to Exmoor. Similarly, experts saw success bringing back common cranes to our wilderness around the same time. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds also recently purchased land to make the largest nature reserve for birds in the country. In short, there’s never been a better time to be an endangered bird.
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