Beauly enjoy rare win in Camanachd Cup
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Golden eagles poised for reintroduction in England
After more than 150 years, golden eagles could be set to return to England, as a study is expected to confirm there are enough suitable sites to support the reintroduction of the UK's most iconic bird of prey. Golden eagles, which can have a wingspan of more than 2 metres, are occasionally seen in areas such as Northumberland. However, these birds come from a growing population in southern Scotland. A recent project to reintroduce the birds in Scotland is likely to be a model for any reintroduction in England. Owing to persecution from gamekeepers and farmers, the species has been in effect extinct in England for about 150 years. The last native golden eagle, which lived alone on a reserve in the Lake District, disappeared in 2015. But after a decision to legally release beavers in England – a pair of the animals were released in Dorset in March – the environment secretary, Steve Reed, is overseeing plans that could lead to golden eagles being brought back. Forestry England has carried out a feasibility study into whether and how the species could be reintroduced. While this is not due to be published for several months, it is understood that it concludes there is the capacity to support a population of the birds. Reintroducing extinct species is a complex process and needs to follow guidelines set out by the France-based International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as well as being licensed by Natural England, the government's nature watchdog. The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project offers a recent example to follow. While there are thriving populations of the birds in the Western Isles and Hebrides and in the north of mainland Scotland, with up to 600 breeding pairs in all, there were formerly only a handful in the south of the country. However, an official reintroduction programme begun in 2018 has led to the population growing from little more than three or four pairs to more than 50 – more than had been recorded in the region for more than 300 years. According to Duncan Orr-Ewing, the head of species and land management at the bird charity the RSBP, an English scheme would most likely follow the same model, with the focus likely to be the north of England. In the Scottish scheme, single chicks were taken from broods of two in established populations when they were about six to eight weeks old and then fed remotely with minimal human contact before they were released at specially chosen sites, with food initially provided until they could hunt for themselves. Such a method has also been used in reintroducing red kites and sea eagles, and has tended to work well, Orr-Ewing said, with high survival rates for the southern Scotland golden eagle project. While this depended on there being enough suitable sites containing sufficient prey, in the north of England this is unlikely to be an issue. Orr-Ewing said: 'The main prey of golden eagles are things like grouse, rabbits, hares. But they can also take other things like deer calves, we've seen badgers, fox cubs, all of these sort of things. And you've got grouse moor estates. So I don't think prey availability is going to be a problem.' The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said a reintroduction programme for England would also look at public engagement and would consider the impact on other species and the wider environment. A Defra spokesperson 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.' Reintroducing birds and animals to places where they were previously extinct is a complex process, but there have been a series of examples in recent years. Beavers The Eurasian beaver is native to Britain but was hunted to extinction about 400 years ago. About 20 years ago some were seen in Scotland, believed to have been illegally released into the wild. A formal reintroduction scheme in Scotland began in 2021 and the country now has an estimated population of about 1,500. After a similar scheme was begun in England, the first legally released animals were set free in Dorset in May. In July it emerged that no subsequent licences for beaver release had been granted, despite 40 expressions of interest. Bison In 2022, three bison were released into Kent woodland, the first wild examples of the creature in Britain for thousands of years. While this has so far been a one-off, the herd has expanded to six, and the bisons' impact on the area has been credited with boosting biodiversity. The same conservation project has since also released a species known as the iron age pig, a cross between wild boar and domestic pigs that are similar to the wild pigs that roamed much of Europe thousands of years ago. It has also released longhorn cattle and Exmoor ponies. Red kites Red kites had been common but loss of habitat and egg stealing meant that by the 1980s they had gone from England, with only a few pairs in Wales. In July 1990, two Welsh red kites and 11 from Spain – the chicks were brought in on a British Airways flight – were released in the Chiltern Hills, a process repeated over the next four years, with similar schemes happening in other areas. Red kites are now commonly seen in the Chilterns and there are an estimated 2,000 breeding pairs in England, distributed across almost the whole country.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Celtic begin season with win at Hearts
Celtic got their SWPL season up and running with a 2-1 victory over Hearts at Oriam. Emma Lawton thought she had given Celtic the lead with a header inside 10 minutes but the whistle had blown for a foul. Morgan Cross found the breakthrough shortly after to put Celtic in front and Natalie Ross doubled the visitors' advantage when she dinked over Hearts goalkeeper Rachael Johnstone. Hearts halved the arrears with a Georgia Timms penalty in stoppage time.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
'I want to be one of best players in world'
Rangers winger Mikey Moore has declared his ambition to become "one of the best players in the world".The 18-year-old Tottenham loanee made his Rangers debut in the Premier Sports Cup win over Alloa and is desperate for action against Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off first leg on Tuesday."It's a massive game, as every game is when you play for Rangers," Moore said. "I'm excited for it. I seen some of the games in the earlier rounds and it's been good to qualify [for the play-off]."So it's a massive opportunity for me and all the boys. I can't wait to go."I've had some good experiences and I'm ready to go and show more, really. I want to make more of an impact on a European stage, so I'm ready to play."I want to just become a better player really, so I think there's massive opportunities at this club."I just want to play as many games as possible, score as many goals and excite as many people as I can."I want to play in the biggest competitions and I want to be one of the best players in the world, hopefully."I've signed a new contract at Spurs but at the minute I'm focused on playing here. I'm just buzzing to play in some massive games at this football club."
