White-tailed eagles at Arundel
A wildlife reintroduction project miles away on the Isle of Wight has led to sightings of white-tailed eagles at Arundel Wetland Centre for the first time.
The white-tailed eagles, also known as sea eagles, began appearing here in October and are still being spotted every week by staff and visitors. They are the largest birds of prey in the UK. They often appear around the Offham hangar and fly over the reserve. Senior Reserve Warden Emma Jacob has managed to capture pics of the eagles as have many WWT visitors.
Visitor and WWT Member Steve Woodard said, “I took shots of a white tailed eagle as it flew over the centre towards me. It was an amazing experience. Earlier this year I travelled up to Isle of Mull for the first time just to hopefully photograph this magnificent bird, which I did, but then couldn’t believe seeing one here 20 minutes from where I live!” See one of Steve's photos at the top of this page.
First time sighting for visitors
Visitors at Arundel Wetland Centre have been excited to see the white-tailed eagles at but it’s a new species of bird for many of you. Our teams have been fielding some interesting questions like “will the eagles will eat all the ducks?”
Reserve Manager Suzi Lanaway says, “White-tailed eagles are primarily fish eaters. We have osprey stop in and hunt for fish at our site in autumn and they find plenty to eat. Our ponds and scrapes are full of fish.”
Other birds of prey like kestrels, peregrines, sparrow hawks, red kites, merlins, hobbies, buzzards and marsh harriers visit Arundel Wetland Centre year round without upsetting the balance of nature on site.
White-tailed eagle reintroduction project
Steve Egerton-Read, the white-tailed eagle reintroduction project officer, visited Arundel Wetland Centre on Friday 9 Dec and gave a 20 minute talk and answer visitor’s questions about the eagles. The reintroduction of the white-tailed eagles on the Isle of Wight, led by The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England, began in 2019. All eagles released in the program have been fitted with satellite tracking devices to follow their progress. The eagles can travel up to 250km in a day. The hope is that the birds will establish themselves all along the coast and eventually link up with white-tailed eagle populations in the Scotland, Ireland and even Europe.
Want to come in and look for this exciting bird of prey?
