South of Scotland Golden eagle project plans England expansion

A pioneering south of Scotland conservation project is setting its sights on re-introducing golden eagles into England and Wales.

For the past six years young birds have been taken from the Highlands and released into rural parts of the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.

The population of the birds in the area has soared from a threatened handful in 2018 to currently standing at about 50.

Dr Cat Barlow, project manager with the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP), said: “We hope our next phase will be to give the eagles a hand to establish themselves in the English uplands.”

Golden eagles were wiped out in Wales and England by the mid-19th Century due mainly to persecution by sheep farmers and shooting estates.

Despite a brief return in the 1940s and 1950s, following the two world wars, numbers gradually declined again.

The last resident golden eagle in England disappeared in 2015.

A new charity, Restoring Upland Nature, is taking the SSGEP under its wing, as well as looking south to help establish the species once more in England and Wales.

Dr Barlow said: “We have shown with the SSGEP that if you do it well and you do it right, reintroducing golden eagles can be successful.

“We are at the development stage – and it will take time – but I feel we have a good chance of establishing this iconic species elsewhere.

“Golden eagles don’t see a line on a map and many of the birds we have brought to the south of Scotland are already showing interest in the uplands of England.”

Golden eagles were reintroduced to Ireland about a decade ago with the first chick in over a century hatching in 2018.

A collaboration project in Wales, led by Eagle Reintroduction Wales, has already reached the feasibility and consultation stages with plans for chicks to be brought from Scandinavia.

The new Restoring Upland Nature charity is looking to not only maintain the progress in the south of Scotland, but also expand its expertise and experience across other parts of Britain.

Dr Barlow added: “The delivery has been a success in the south of Scotland, but we are not quite finished yet – we need to now be able to support landowners and communities as the eagles start nesting and settling into the landscape.

“This will be done as part of the wider Restoring Upland Nature charity which will also be exploring opportunities to re-introduce golden eagles into England and Wales.

“The project has so far captured the hearts and minds with fantastic support coming from communities, volunteers and stakeholders across the south of Scotland, and we hope that will continue in other parts of the country as we enter the next phase.”