Isle Of Wight Eagle Project Celebrates Three New Wild Chicks

Three white-tailed eagle chicks have successfully fledged in England this summer — as the Isle of Wight-based reintroduction project marks another milestone.

The chicks are the latest young to be born in the wild as part of a project aiming to restore Britain's largest bird of prey to the English landscape.

Two male chicks fledged from a nest in Sussex, while another male chick was successfully raised in Dorset.

Their arrival means nine white-tailed eagles have now been born in the wild since the reintroduction programme began.

The project, led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, has its main release base on the Isle of Wight.

Five young white-tailed eagles were released from the Island this summer, taking the total number released through the project to 56.

For the first time this year, a further six birds were also released in Exmoor National Park as part of a partnership with the Exmoor National Park Authority.

Fourth Consecutive Year Of Successful Breeding

White-tailed eagles have now successfully fledged chicks in England for four consecutive years.

Five pairs formed through the reintroduction programme are now established, with two pairs successfully breeding this summer.

The Sussex pair — G405 and G471 — have bred every year since 2023 and raised two male chicks, known as GE36 and GE37.

A third chick, GE38, fledged from a nest in Dorset.

It was the second successful breeding attempt for its parents, G463 and G466. The male bird has only one leg, having lost the other five years ago.

All three chicks have been fitted with satellite tags, allowing conservationists to monitor their movements as they begin to explore further afield.

The project team has also used cameras near the nests to study what the birds are eating.

More than 300 records of food brought back to the nests were collected, with fish the most frequently recorded item.

Roy Dennis, from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, said the latest breeding success was another important stage in the species' return.

“This year’s breeding success is another important milestone in the return of this lost species to England.

“This is now the fourth year where these released eagles have raised and fledged chicks.”

White-tailed eagles can have a wingspan of up to 2.5 metres and were once widespread across England.

The species disappeared from southern England following persecution, with the last known pair breeding in the region in 1780.

The current reintroduction programme began in 2019, with young birds collected from wild nests in Scotland under licence before being released in southern England.