Latest news with #SSGEP
Daily Record
29-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Rare Scottish Golden Eagle spotted as majestic bird seen soaring south to England
Conservationists and environment lovers have something to cheer about as a rare Golden Eagle was spotted in England After vanishing from England more than a century ago, golden eagles are making a remarkable comeback, soaring south from Scotland in a revival that has thrilled conservationists and bird lovers alike. Among the majestic birds spotted across the border this year is a young male named Talla, who recently turned heads in Northumberland National Park, much to the amazement of wildlife enthusiast Ian Glendinning. 'It was the end of March and I was driving in a remote corner of the national park with a couple of friends and the rear passenger suddenly shouted out 'what on earth is that?'' he told the BBC. 'I looked over to my right and about 30 metres away there he was, sitting on a rocky outcrop." Talla is one of around 50 golden eagles now thriving in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, an extraordinary rise from just a handful in the region less than a decade ago. Their resurgence is thanks to the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP), launched in 2018 in a bid to boost dwindling numbers. Since then, the project has successfully relocated 28 juvenile golden eagles, collected from the Highlands at six to eight weeks of age, along with 15 older birds aged between four months and three years. 'Thanks to our satellite tagging, we can confirm that some are beginning to venture into Northumberland and further afield and these sightings reaffirm the importance of us extending our groundbreaking work,' said Michael Clarke, chair of SSGEP. The golden eagles have now been tracked far beyond the Borders, gliding over the North Pennines, the Lake District, and even as far south as the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire and Nidderdale in Yorkshire. 'While it is too early to say if they are settling in these areas, it is a potentially exciting and significant milestone,' Mr Clarke added. Once wiped out across England and Wales by the mid-1800s due to persecution by gamekeepers and landowners, golden eagles only made a fleeting return following the First and Second World Wars, when driven shoots temporarily ceased. The last known English resident disappeared from the Lake District in 2015. Now, the golden eagle, the UK's second-largest bird of prey after the white-tailed sea eagle, may finally be reclaiming its lost territory. These powerful raptors are known for their incredible hunting skills and wide-ranging territories, with pairs covering up to 150 square kilometres. They favour remote, undisturbed landscapes and are most commonly found in the Scottish Highlands and islands, where they glide silently above open moorland and craggy cliffs. They feed on a variety of prey, from rabbits and red grouse to squirrels, smaller birds and even fish. They also scavenge carrion, playing a vital role in recycling nutrients through the ecosystem. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Dwarf birch and downy willow trees once offered ideal nesting spots in Scotland's uplands, but widespread overgrazing by deer and sheep has devastated these habitats. Nonetheless, golden eagles continue to adapt, building vast nests in the most secluded spots, from rocky cliffs to towering trees, and returning to them year after year. The birds mate for life and build multiple nests within their territory, selecting their preferred site depending on the season and weather. The largest golden eagle nest on record measured an incredible 4.5 metres deep. Most golden eagles live between 15 and 20 years, though some have been known to reach 30.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Golden eagles return to English skies after more than 150 years
Golden eagles are making a comeback in England. The birds, which are the UK's second-largest birds of prey, have been absent from England's skies for more than 150 years. However, now the eagles have been seen beginning to cross the border from the south of Scotland. The return of these majestic birds is exciting for wildlife enthusiasts and suggests that golden eagles might soon nest in England once again. Where are the eagles coming from? One of the eagles who has been spotted venturing into England is Talla, a young male golden eagle. He was spotted by wildlife enthusiast Ian Glendinning, who has seen golden eagles many times in the Scottish Highlands. This year is the first time he has spotted the birds in his home county of Northumberland. "They just fit in perfectly with the landscape, I just felt a real sense of amazement that they are there and I can see them," he said."It just feels like they belong here." Talla is one of around 50 golden eagles living in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and is all thanks to the work of South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP). The project was set up when the population of golden eagles in the region dropped to a handful of helped to restore the numbers of golden eagles in the South of thanks to satellite tagging the project is able to track some of these birds crossing over into England. Where are the eagles travelling to? The tagging has shown the birds visiting Northumberland, North Pennines and the Lake have even been tracked travelling as far as the Forest of Boland in Lancashire and Nidderdale in chair Michael Clarke said: "Thanks to our satellite tagging, we can confirm that some are beginning to venture into Northumberland and further afield and these sightings reaffirm the importance of us extending our groundbreaking work."While it is too early to say if they are settling in these areas, it is a potentially exciting and significant milestone."
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Golden eagles flying back to northern England
After years of absence, golden eagles are beginning to venture back into England from the south of Scotland, leading to hopes they might nest. Among those crossing the border in 2025 was a young male called enthusiast Ian Glendinning has seen the UK's second biggest bird of prey many times in the Scottish Highlands, but he never expected to encounter one in his home county of Northumberland. "It was the end of March and I was driving in a remote corner of the national park with a couple of friends and the rear passenger suddenly shouted out 'what on earth is that?'," he says. "I looked over to my right and about 30 metres away there he was, sitting on a rocky outcrop."Before I could get my phone out for a photo it glided away, but it was absolutely colossal, there was just no doubting what it was."I would defy anyone not to be impressed seeing such a huge bird at close range." Talla is one of around 50 golden eagles living in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and resurgence is thanks to the work of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP), set up when the population in the region had dropped to a mere to more about the return of golden eagles on BBC SoundsSince 2018, SSGEP has successfully translocated 28 juveniles, collected at six to eight weeks of age, and 15 sub-adult golden eagles between four months and three years from the Scottish Highlands. SSGEP chair Michael Clarke said: "Thanks to our satellite tagging, we can confirm that some are beginning to venture into Northumberland and further afield and these sightings reaffirm the importance of us extending our groundbreaking work."The birds have also visited the North Pennines and the Lake District, even travelling as far as the Forest of Boland in Lancashire and Nidderdale in Yorkshire. "While it is too early to say if they are settling in these areas, it is a potentially exciting and significant milestone," Mr Clarke said. Golden eagles were wiped out in England and Wales by the mid-19th Century, mainly due to persecution by those who saw them as a threat to livestock or game birds. Despite a brief return following the two world wars, when driven shoots largely ceased, numbers gradually declined again with the last resident golden eagle in England disappearing from the Lake District in UK's remaining population was then largely confined to the Scottish Highlands and Islands, particularly in remote, mountainous regions. Dr Cat Barlow, CEO of the charity Restoring Upland Nature, which has taken SSGEP under its wing, said it is not surprising to the birds "exploring in England"."In the first few years of life, the birds will go looking for new territory, looking for a mate, looking for new feeding grounds," she said. "They'll get up high in the sky and head for the areas that look interesting to them, usually those remote upland areas."They create a visual map of where they've been and when they find what they think is a good place, they'll settle there and try and attract a mate." Welcoming a possible move south, she said: "I'm from County Durham myself and I'd love to see them back for good there." It is not yet clear whether a golden eagle population in areas like the Lake District, or the Northumberland Uplands will establish itself without birds being brought from Scotland. "In theory, as available territories fill up in the south of Scotland, eagles will begin to move into England and they have been visiting old nest sites," Dr Barlow Wildlife Trust CEO Mike Pratt said: "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."The sightings are almost like the golden eagles giving their blessing and saying that the landscape can take them." The charity has recently acquired the Rothbury Estate in Northumberland; 9,500 acres of land which include the Simonside Pratt hopes one day golden eagles will be present there. "It won't be a rushed process and we'll be consulting carefully, but the project in the south of Scotland has been such a success, people really love them."I would like to think the same could happen here." Mr Glendinning has seen golden eagles three more times since that first shock sighting in March and feels a sense of "wonderment" each time. "They just fit in perfectly with the landscape, I just felt a real sense of amazement that they are there and I can see them," he said. "It just feels like they belong here." Follow BBC North East on X and Facebook and BBC Cumbria on X and Facebook and both on Nextdoor and Instagram.
