Latest news with #goldeneagles
Telegraph
9 hours ago
- General
- Telegraph
Fears golden eagle reintroduction could pose threat to English farmers
The reintroduction of golden eagles in England poses a threat to livestock, farmers have warned. While the bird of prey has been successfully brought back to southern Scotland, the National Farmers Union (NFU) is concerned about its impact south of the border. It is more than 150 years since the birds became effectively extinct in England after hunting from gamekeepers and farmers. But a feasibility study from Forestry England set to be published later this year is believed to conclude that there is capacity to support a reintroduction of the birds. It comes after the success of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project which has seen the birds moved from the Highlands to the south of the country. Efforts have seen numbers climb from three or four pairs to more than 50. It is believed the model used in Scotland would be used as a template by Steve Reed, the Environment Secretary, if plans were to go ahead in England. However, the potential plans have come under fire from farmers who fear the birds could eat their livestock, particularly young lambs. Abi Reader, the deputy president of NFU Cymru, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Golden eagles are really big birds, and they're birds of prey. 'We've now got a farming system that's developed without these animals around. 'They represent a threat to livestock farmers, so particularly [for] those who are farming sheep, when you've got small animals on the ground, they are suitable prey. 'If you're a farmer you've spent your entire year building up to a decent lambing crop, and suddenly it's decimated by these golden eagles, then it can be really damaging for farming businesses.' But Duncan Orr-Ewing, head of species and land management at the RSPB, said the Scottish model could work in England. 'This project was only initiated after a lot of stakeholder engagement and also a full feasibility study as to the suitability of the countryside in the south of Scotland to hold these birds,' he said. Mr Orr-Ewing added that the birds were 'extremely adaptable' and could find enough wild prey – as they do in the Highlands where food sources are 'very short'. 'Yet golden eagles manage to thrive in these areas,' he continued. 'In the south of Scotland, we've found that the survival rate of golden eagles that have been released has been exceptionally high. 'They are feeding on birds, grouse, hares, rabbits. They also take things like deer calves, fox cubs. So their diet is very cosmopolitan.'
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- 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.
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- 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.
Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
SNP's new net zero wind farm ‘will harm golden eagles'
A net zero wind farm in Scotland is likely to harm rare golden eagles, warn conservationists. The SNP Government is considering a proposal for Scawd Law, an eight-turbine scheme on the Holylee estate in the Scottish Borders. Each turbine would be up to 180m tall and, according to developer Fred Olsen Renewables, the wind farm would generate more than £8 million for the local community. However, ministers have been warned that the wind farm's impact on golden eagles – a protected species – has been 'substantially' underestimated. They are being urged to block the scheme with concerns raised over the cumulative impact of wind farms in the region, which is being driven by the SNP's net zero targets. Dr Cat Barlow, the chief executive of Restoring Upland Nature (RUN), said the charity had formally objected to Scawd Law. 'After comparing proposals with the insights provided by our state-of-the art monitoring equipment and detailed field observations by our highly experienced staff, we do not believe Scawd Law in the Moorfoot Hills is the right place for a wind farm development,' Dr Barlow said. 'The additional information report currently being used by the site's developers is dated and substantially underestimates the impact on golden eagles at a particularly critical time for the local population.' Scottish ministers have pledged to reach net zero by 2045. However, regions such as the Scottish Borders have emerged as battlegrounds with local communities fighting the expansion of wind farms. These include plans for a 62-turbine scheme near Teviothead and the 59-turbine Liddesdale wind farm that if consented would be located a couple of miles apart. Borders Wind Farm Watch, a campaign group, said the developer's information report relies on data that only account for eagle activity up to early 2024. The group said 'it estimates minimal impact' and pointed to recent tracking held by RUN showing eagle presence has surged by 238 per cent in the area. It said this 'drastically' alters the risk profile, adding: 'Collision risk estimates based on older data are no longer valid and significantly understate the threat'. Though once abundant in southern Scotland, by early 2018 the golden eagle population had decreased to between two and four pairs across Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders. Conservation efforts have helped the species bounce back and the golden eagle population in the south of Scotland has more than tripled to the highest number recorded in the area for three centuries. Last year, a three-year-old golden eagle named Sparky died after colliding with a wind turbine in Dumfries and Galloway. It was locally fledged from a nest and was found 15 metres from a turbine base at the Windy Rig wind farm. Dr Barlow said breeding territories must remain undisturbed for long-term population sustainability, as golden eagles were highly sensitive to disturbance and tended to avoid areas around wind turbines. She warned that the expansion of wind farms 'without rigorous, up-to-date environmental data risks pushing these birds out of the very landscapes they need to survive'.
