Majestic Scottish golden eagles are set to be exported to England and Wales for the first time in decades thanks to a boom in numbers north of the border. The pioneering South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP) has spent six years relocating the iconic birds of prey from the Highlands to areas of the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.
In a major success story for conservationists, numbers in the south of Scotland have since soared from near wipeout to around 50. Now, the group is exploring the potential to bring eagles back to the English and Welsh uplands.
The last resident golden eagle in England disappeared in 2015, while in Wales they’ve been extinct since the mid-19th century, chiefly due to being shot by farmers and poachers. Now, the SSGEP has partnered with a new charity, Restoring Upland Nature, to look at re-establishing the species in other parts of Britain.
Dr Cat Barlow, SSGEP project manager said: “We hope our next phase will be to give the eagles a hand to establish themselves in the English uplands. 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.” She added: “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 once widespread across the whole UK but the species was exterminated in England and Wales during the 1800s due to persecution by sheep farmers and shooting estates. They made a brief return in the early half of the 20th century as gamekeepers were sent to fight in two World Wars, before numbers steadily declined again.
In Ireland, golden eagles were reintroduced around ten years ago and in 2018, the first chick hatched in more than a century. A separate project in Wales, Eagle Reintroduction Wales, is advancing in its plans to bring eagle chicks over from Scandinavia.
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.”
Considered by many to be Scotland’s national bird, the most important breeding grounds for golden eagles in Europe are found here, chiefly in the Highlands and islands. Sadly, however, the bird of prey also faces frequent persecution in Scotland from gamekeepers and farmers.
Last year, a magnificent female golden eagle named Merrick, relocated from the Angus Glens to the Borders under the SSGEP scheme, vanished amid fears it was shot while roosting in a tree and its satellite tag destroyed. The killer is being hunted by cops for crimes against wildlife.
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