First white-tailed eagle chick fledges in Dorset for 240 years

THREE white-tailed eagles have successfully fledged from wild nests in England, marking a new high for a reintroduction programme on the south coast.

- EMILY BEAMENT

Conservationists said a record three chicks fledged from two wild nests, including the first chick in Dorset for 240 years, as well as two youngsters raised in a nest in Sussex.

The successful breeding attempts by two pairs of white-tailed eagles brings the total born in the wild through the reintroduction project to six.

White-tailed eagles - nicknamed 'flying barn doors' because of their wingspan of up to 8ft (2.4m) - were once widespread in southern England until the 18th century, when persecution led to them being wiped out in the region.

A project by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation began reintroducing white-tailed eagles on the Isle of Wight in 2019, to bring back a long-lost species to the skies of southern England.

The birds, which are the UK’s largest bird of prey, have previously been successfully reintroduced in Scotland.

Some 45 young white-tailed eagles have been released as part of the English scheme, including eight birds released this summer from the team’s base on the Isle of Wight, which provides good habitat for the wetland and coast-loving species.