White-tailed eagles with their eight-foot wingspans are being released on the Isle of Wight this summer in exciting but controversial efforts to re-wild the British countryside. Almost 240 years after the last eagles soared over the south coast’s chalky clifftops, before being persecuted into oblivion, conservationists will begin releasing up to 60 birds in a Government-approved project. Whitehall’s wildlife agency, Natural England, has granted licences for young eagles to be brought down from Scotland and released in batches over the next five years.
Not all are happy about the return of raptors known by birdwatchers as “flying barn doors” and which are the Old World counterparts of the American bald eagle. Previous attempts to bring back the fish, wildfowl and carrion-eating white-tailed eagle to East Anglia floundered a decade ago with farmers warning birds would feast on free-range piglets, lambs and poultry.
Sheep farmers continue to be dubious about this summer’s release when up to 12 young eagles are set free.
The extermination of the eagle on British soil before the end of the First World War remains one of the most tragic stories of persecution of a native bird. It was officially declared extinct as a breeding species in 1918.
Like the red kite, conservationists have been highly successful over recent decades in nurturing released eagles across their traditional Scottish haunts to the point where they have become ecotourist attractions, contributing more than £5 million to the Isle of Mull economy. Up to 110 pairs are now breeding across Scotland.
Hopes of a similar return to the eagle’s good fortunes south of the border has been boosted by Natural England’s granting of a licence to the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England to start releasing young birds brought down from Scotland over the next five years. Because eagles are slow to mature, breeding is unlikely before 2024. The last Isle of Wight eagles bred at Culver Cliff in 1780.
News of the eagle reintroduction has been welcomed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Spokesman Martin Fowlie said: “It’s going to be fascinating to see how this project develops over the coming months and years. The reintroduction of any species is never easy and needs to be done in accordance with international guidelines to ensure that it works for local wildlife and local people. We wish it every success.”
East Anglian farmers greeted the last attempts to reintroduce the eagles with strong opposition, putting up signs in rural locations which read: “Say No to Sea Eagles Here…”
The National Sheep Association is criticising the decision to release birds on the Isle of Wight, with its chief executive Phil Stocker warning there are no agreements over compensation to people whose livelihoods might be affected by the birds.
He said: “Make no mistake these birds are a top of the food chain predator whose behaviour will adapt relating to food needs and availability.
“We will see them taking livestock and other domestic animals and we will have consciously taken a decision that contradicts our interests in improving animal welfare and avoiding suffering.”
Natural England say there is no evidence of problems where eagles live alongside lowland sheep farming in Europe, but will ensure the licence applicants put in place clear routes to identify and manage unexpected issues.
Roy Dennis, founder of The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, has long dreamed of seeing eagles casting their shadows over his boyhood landscape.
He said: “White-tailed eagles were once a common sight in England and southern Europe but were lost centuries ago.
“I can remember as a lad walking along Culver Cliffs to see where the eagles had once lived. It is incredible now to be able to play a part in returning these birds back to their home.”