The return of white-tailed eagles to England is one of the country\u2019s leading conservation successes over recent years. Since 2019, 45 white-tailed eagles have been released on the Isle of Wight.<\/p>\n
Several breeding pairs have formed, with six chicks being born in the wild in England for the first time since 1780<\/a>. Any targeting of the birds could affect the long-term success of the project.<\/p>\n In September the trackers of two eagles were found dumped close to the birds\u2019 last recorded locations. Both had been cut off the birds using a sharp instrument. In the case of another eagle, its tag has stopped sending data. The last message received from the device was on November 8, and no sightings of the bird have been recorded since then.<\/p>\n Tim Mackrill, of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, said: \u201cWe monitor the satellite data, showing the bird\u2019s minute-by-minute movements, on a daily basis and always investigate any suspicious or unusual data. It was devastating to find the stolen and dumped tags, particularly for the chick in Sussex who fledged this summer and had only just begun its life.\u201d<\/p>\n White-tailed eagles are Britain\u2019s largest birds of prey, with a wingspan of up to 2.5 metres, and were once widespread across England.<\/p>\n Under licence from Natural England, birds set for release are collected from wild nests in Scotland, where populations are in healthy numbers. The chicks are subsequently reared and released on the Isle of Wight after being fitted with satellite tags costing about \u00a31,000 and weighing 50g, equivalent to ten 20p coins.<\/p>\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/\/647eb411-26db-45ce-872a-930387454408.jpg\")
<\/p>\n