Here’s the latest on white-tailed eagle reintroduction to Exmoor.
- Overview: The latest phase of the white-tailed eagle reintroduction in Exmoor National Park has government approval to release up to 20 birds over three years, with the next releases planned to begin this summer. This follows ongoing reintroduction efforts that started on the Isle of Wight and have extended along the southern coast.[1][4]
- Community and farming concerns: Farmers in Exmoor have raised worries about lamb predation and livestock safety, prompting ongoing dialogue with Natural England and project partners to establish safeguards and support for farm management. Authorities emphasize measures to minimize conflict and monitor impacts as birds establish territories.[4][1]
- Habitat and monitoring: Birds released in Exmoor will be tracked via satellite, enabling researchers to study movement, territory establishment, and potential ecological benefits, including effects on prey dynamics and biodiversity across coastal woodlands and moorland.[1][4]
- Licensing and governance: Natural England issued the license enabling these releases, highlighting collaboration with Forestry England, the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, and Exmoor National Park Authority, plus planning to assess ecological and socio-economic risks as part of responsible reintroduction in southern England.[4]
If you’d like, I can pull a concise timeline of milestones and a quick map of current release sites, or summarize farmer perspectives from Exmoor to help you weigh the trade-offs. Sources: BBC coverage of Exmoor releases, Yahoo News summary, BirdGuides project page, Natural England blog on the licensing.[2][3][1][4]
Sources
By Roxanne Gardiner, Senior Officer, Natural England Wildlife Licensing Service and Olivia Beatty, Higher Officer, Wessex Area Team Natural England has issued a licence enabling the next phase of white-tailed eagle reintroductions in southern England, permitting the release of up …
naturalengland.blog.gov.ukA conservation project is now calling for members of the public to give their views ahead of the reintroduction of the UK's largest bird of prey. ITV News West Country
www.itv.comWhite-tailed eagles are set to be released into the wild in Exmoor National...
hellorayo.co.ukThe Exmoor Society has commissioned a report to provide a balanced overview of the reintroduction of Pine Martens and Sea Eagles into Exmoor.
www.exmoorsociety.comWatch the latest from ITV News - Also known as Sea Eagles, they are the UK's largest bird of prey, but they were wiped out here hundreds of years ago
www.itv.comCONTROVERSIAL plans to reintroduce Britain’s largest bird of prey to Exmoor were approved on Wednesday (May 13) by Natural England, the Government’s wildlife licencing authority.
www.wsfp.co.ukWhite-tailed Eagle is to be reintroduced to Exmoor, with the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England set to release birds at the national park. The organisations have been reintroducing White-tailed Eagles to the Isle of Wight since 2019 – and now plan to release a small number in west Somerset and north Devon. So far, total of 37 eagles have been released through the project and, in 2023, a pair bred successfully for the first time in West Sussex. The same pair nested again this...
www.birdguides.comSome farmers fear the reintroduction of the UK's biggest bird of prey will threaten their livestock.
www.bbc.comThe majestic white-tailed eagle, the UK's largest bird of prey, is set to return to southern England with a new reintroduction scheme in Exmoor National Park, the government has confirmed.
www.independent.co.uk