Six young white-tailed eagles return to Exmoor after more than 200 years
By Charities Correspondent
A majestic bird that disappeared from Exmoor more than 200 years ago is soaring over the National Park once again – and six young eagles are helping to lead the comeback.
Six white-tailed eagle chicks have been brought from the Scottish Highlands to Exmoor as part of an ambitious conservation project aimed at restoring the species to the South West.
The historic journey was made possible with help from volunteer pilots at Civil Air Support, who flew the young birds directly from Inverness to Exmoor in a specially prepared light aircraft.
The eagles are the first white-tailed eagles to be reintroduced on Exmoor, where the species was lost more than two centuries ago as a result of persecution.
The conservation project is being led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, working alongside Exmoor National Park Authority.
Civil Air Support pilot and Operations Manager Graham Mountford flew the specially adapted aircraft from Turweston to Inverness to collect the young passengers.
The aircraft's rear seats were removed to make room for the eagle chicks and their handler, Zoë Smith of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation.
From Scotland, the aircraft flew directly to a private landing site on Exmoor, dramatically reducing the journey time compared with transporting the birds by road.
The entire operation took just over seven hours of flying time.
Graham said:
“Transporting these young eagles safely from the Highlands to Exmoor was a privilege. Missions like this show how volunteer aviation can solve a practical transport challenge while making a direct contribution to an ambitious conservation programme.”
Once on Exmoor, the young eagles were cared for by specialists as they became accustomed to their new surroundings.
Each bird was fitted with a satellite tracker before being released, allowing conservationists to follow their movements and learn more about how they adapt to life in the wild.
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The young birds are expected to explore large parts of the UK and potentially travel into Europe before eventually returning to establish territories and, it is hoped, breed when they reach around four or five years old.
Exmoor was chosen as a new release site after tracking data showed that white-tailed eagles from the existing reintroduction programme on the Isle of Wight had already visited the area.
The National Park offers the birds an ideal combination of coastline, woodland and plentiful food.
Under the current programme, as many as 20 young white-tailed eagles could be released on Exmoor over three years.
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That could help establish a new population and expand the species' range further into South West England.
Civil Air Support has previously helped transport young eagles as part of the reintroduction programme on the Isle of Wight, where the project has already seen encouraging signs of success, including birds establishing territories and breeding in the wild.
For everyone involved, the arrival of the six young eagles on Exmoor represents much more than a successful flight.
It is a hopeful new chapter for one of Britain's most spectacular birds – and a chance to see white-tailed eagles once again become a familiar sight across the skies of the South West.
