1 00:00:34,668 --> 00:00:36,668 STEVE EGERTON-READ: You can get connected with individuals quite 2 00:00:36,729 --> 00:00:39,889 easily because they're very apparent in the landscape. When 3 00:00:39,890 --> 00:00:42,268 you watch other birds, you don't necessarily know that's the same 4 00:00:42,291 --> 00:00:44,533 individual that you saw yesterday. Whereas with eagles, 5 00:00:44,986 --> 00:00:48,611 you know which individual it is. And for me personally, I've 6 00:00:48,612 --> 00:00:52,494 known all these birds throughout their lives. So every time I see 7 00:00:52,495 --> 00:00:53,385 them, it is quite special. 8 00:00:54,697 --> 00:00:56,838 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: One of the most majestic birds ever to 9 00:00:56,869 --> 00:01:01,619 grace our skies is making a comeback. The white-tailed 10 00:01:01,666 --> 00:01:05,198 eagle, or sea eagle, as they're also known. Became extinct in 11 00:01:05,199 --> 00:01:08,862 the UK in the early 20th century. Where I'm visiting in 12 00:01:08,863 --> 00:01:12,065 the south of England today, the Isle of Wight, lost them even 13 00:01:12,127 --> 00:01:15,705 earlier than that. But it's now possible you might spot them. 14 00:01:16,565 --> 00:01:20,049 I'm Ranger Rosie Holdsworth. Welcome to the wild tale of the 15 00:01:20,088 --> 00:01:21,174 Return Of The Eagle. 16 00:01:28,752 --> 00:01:32,862 I've just popped up to Culver Down, which is the last place... 17 00:01:33,100 --> 00:01:36,563 On the Isle of Wight that white-tailed sea eagles were 18 00:01:36,583 --> 00:01:42,228 recorded nesting way back in 1780. We're right on the top of 19 00:01:42,229 --> 00:01:45,829 the cliff and I can see why they were here. It is an amazing 20 00:01:45,853 --> 00:01:49,853 place to be an eagle. It's got fantastic 360 views over the 21 00:01:49,931 --> 00:01:53,399 sea, lots of fishing opportunities, some very steep 22 00:01:53,478 --> 00:01:56,321 cliffs with I'm sure lots of craggy nesting opportunities. 23 00:02:00,165 --> 00:02:03,024 While there are no eagles nesting here today, it is now 24 00:02:03,085 --> 00:02:05,868 possible to spot the bird on the island and beyond. 25 00:02:10,532 --> 00:02:13,935 So tomorrow I'm really looking forward to because we're going 26 00:02:13,936 --> 00:02:16,935 to meet someone who's part of a team which is working on a 27 00:02:17,021 --> 00:02:19,638 white-tailed eagle reintroduction project on the 28 00:02:19,747 --> 00:02:23,278 Isle of Wight and I'm hopeful that we might even see some 29 00:02:23,341 --> 00:02:26,294 eagles ourselves so it could be a very, very exciting day 30 00:02:26,341 --> 00:02:28,466 tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. 31 00:02:31,744 --> 00:02:34,908 And so, after a night's sleep and a short drive to the other 32 00:02:34,947 --> 00:02:36,749 side of the island, I'm ready to go. 33 00:02:44,433 --> 00:02:45,855 Good morning, you must be Steve. 34 00:02:45,957 --> 00:02:47,441 STEVE EGERTON-READ: Hi Rosie, really nice to meet you. How are 35 00:02:47,442 --> 00:02:47,558 you? 36 00:02:47,894 --> 00:02:50,738 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Lovely, yeah, I'm very well, thank you. Steve, 37 00:02:50,878 --> 00:02:54,269 or Steve the Eagle Man, as he's known in these parts, is Steve 38 00:02:54,363 --> 00:02:57,363 Egerton-Reed, the White-tailed Eagle Project Officer for 39 00:02:57,410 --> 00:02:58,316 Forestry England. 40 00:03:00,180 --> 00:03:03,302 So Steve, where have you brought me and where are we going to go? 41 00:03:04,025 --> 00:03:05,927 STEVE EGERTON-READ: I've brought you to the wonderful Newtown 42 00:03:05,966 --> 00:03:08,048 National Nature Reserve and Newtown itself is a really 43 00:03:08,208 --> 00:03:11,349 interesting place. It used to be one of the biggest towns, most 44 00:03:11,373 --> 00:03:14,052 important towns here on the Isle of Wight but now it's one of the 45 00:03:14,053 --> 00:03:16,154 most important nature reserves on the Isle of Wight. 46 00:03:17,419 --> 00:03:19,435 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: We're wandering through an amazing 47 00:03:19,498 --> 00:03:23,904 meadow and down towards the salt marsh and I can see the salt 48 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:27,388 marsh out in front of me with some boats sitting in the mud, 49 00:03:27,804 --> 00:03:30,826 in the salt marsh and a boardwalk out across the marsh 50 00:03:31,207 --> 00:03:32,709 so I'm assuming is that where we're heading 51 00:03:32,889 --> 00:03:34,611 STEVE EGERTON-READ: We're heading out into the marsh, we 52 00:03:34,612 --> 00:03:37,334 can see the wonderful Isle of Wight coast and we can even see 53 00:03:37,335 --> 00:03:38,818 the New Forest in the distance can't we 54 00:03:39,053 --> 00:03:40,678 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: There we go what a view. 55 00:03:40,678 --> 00:03:41,945 STEVE EGERTON-READ: Have you seen an eagle before? 56 00:03:41,945 --> 00:03:42,397 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: I have. 57 00:03:42,397 --> 00:03:44,787 STEVE EGERTON-READ: Fantastic, so I mean there's a lot of 58 00:03:44,788 --> 00:03:48,162 things that are really striking about them. So, this is a bird 59 00:03:48,490 --> 00:03:51,912 that's got an enormous wingspan at two and a half meters, 60 00:03:51,912 --> 00:03:55,818 beautiful, bright white tail but it's also got this big, heavy 61 00:03:55,975 --> 00:03:59,150 yellow bill and this kind of blondie, grey look. 62 00:04:00,892 --> 00:04:03,074 But here we are in the Isle of Wight. This is the last place 63 00:04:03,316 --> 00:04:06,355 that the birds bred here in Southern England, all the way 64 00:04:06,418 --> 00:04:10,285 back in 1780. I think you've been to Culver Cliff where the 65 00:04:10,300 --> 00:04:11,699 last pair supposedly bred. 66 00:04:11,902 --> 00:04:14,425 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Yeah, I was up there, yeah. 67 00:04:14,426 --> 00:04:16,113 STEVE EGERTON-READ: And really, the story for what it told 68 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,410 eagles is quite sad, right way up to the early 20th century, 69 00:04:20,207 --> 00:04:21,988 when the bird became extinct as a whole in the UK. 70 00:04:25,384 --> 00:04:27,504 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: White-tailed eagles were once widespread 71 00:04:27,564 --> 00:04:31,584 across the country. It's thought there were as many as 1,000 to 72 00:04:31,685 --> 00:04:36,424 1,400 pairs in 500 AD. But through the Middle Ages, they 73 00:04:36,549 --> 00:04:41,369 suffered persecution and numbers declined drastically. By the 74 00:04:41,447 --> 00:04:44,494 late 18th century, there were only a few breeding pairs 75 00:04:44,541 --> 00:04:47,682 remaining in the UK. They disappeared from the Isle of 76 00:04:47,713 --> 00:04:51,885 Wight, from Culver Cliff, in 1780. And then the last known 77 00:04:51,932 --> 00:04:54,493 breeding pair in England was thought to have been on the 78 00:04:54,594 --> 00:04:58,983 Isle Of Man in 1815. They hung on in Scotland for another 79 00:04:59,026 --> 00:05:02,435 hundred years. And it was in Scotland that a white-tailed 80 00:05:02,515 --> 00:05:07,220 eagle reintroduction programme was launched in 1975. There are 81 00:05:07,259 --> 00:05:12,544 now 150 to 180 pairs of eagles there. But the bird is still 82 00:05:12,645 --> 00:05:16,106 listed as a bird of conservation concern, making it one of the 83 00:05:16,231 --> 00:05:18,028 UK's rarest species. 84 00:05:20,278 --> 00:05:23,841 So as we walk out onto the salt marsh, where is the best place 85 00:05:23,842 --> 00:05:26,497 for us to start to scan and look for eagles? 86 00:05:26,763 --> 00:05:28,935 STEVE EGERTON-READ: This is a bird that spends about 90% of 87 00:05:28,936 --> 00:05:31,650 the day perched up. You don't necessarily have to sit in a 88 00:05:31,689 --> 00:05:34,591 tree. It can sit on a post. It can sit on the ground even. 89 00:05:35,713 --> 00:05:38,255 Imagine yourself as an eagle for a minute, Rosie. Where would you 90 00:05:38,420 --> 00:05:41,560 sit if you wanted a really good view? And then, you know, it's 91 00:05:42,037 --> 00:05:45,365 always a good idea to have a little look in the sky. You 92 00:05:45,599 --> 00:05:49,912 know, you could get lucky and one just fly over. I'm just 93 00:05:49,913 --> 00:05:51,255 going to make a quick scan for you. 94 00:05:53,209 --> 00:05:58,474 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Oh, there is something pretty big in the top 95 00:05:58,475 --> 00:05:58,849 of the... 96 00:05:59,836 --> 00:06:01,999 STEVE EGERTON-READ: Oh yeah, so it looks as though there's a 97 00:06:02,038 --> 00:06:05,964 buzzard at the top of that bush there. There's a phrase that 98 00:06:05,965 --> 00:06:09,527 everyone always says, if you think you've seen an eagle and 99 00:06:09,528 --> 00:06:13,066 you're not sure, you probably haven't. I don't see anything 100 00:06:13,113 --> 00:06:17,448 just yet, but we shouldn't give up hope too early. 101 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:20,214 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Should we head out over the boardwalk and onto 102 00:06:20,215 --> 00:06:20,964 the salt marsh? 103 00:06:20,965 --> 00:06:22,105 STEVE EGERTON-READ: Yeah, let's do that Rosie, let's try and 104 00:06:22,106 --> 00:06:24,136 give you as best a chance of seeing an eagle as we can. 105 00:06:28,572 --> 00:06:31,815 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: So an eagle reintroduction project sounds 106 00:06:32,075 --> 00:06:35,700 really exciting, but I know from experience how these things can 107 00:06:35,701 --> 00:06:38,919 be quite laborious and quite involved. What are the mechanics 108 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:41,067 of trying to reintroduce a species like that? 109 00:06:41,903 --> 00:06:44,528 STEVE EGERTON-READ: So white-tailed eagles, they hatch 110 00:06:44,731 --> 00:06:48,997 usually sometime in April or May. We collect these young 111 00:06:49,075 --> 00:06:52,653 birds, birds that are around seven weeks old, from wild nests 112 00:06:52,654 --> 00:06:53,263 in Scotland. 113 00:06:55,216 --> 00:06:57,435 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: All the birds come from twins or triplets. 114 00:06:57,964 --> 00:07:00,528 It's part of the licence condition with NatureScot that 115 00:07:00,547 --> 00:07:04,289 at least one must be left behind. That allows Forestry 116 00:07:04,391 --> 00:07:07,555 England, working alongside the Roy Dennis Foundation, to take 117 00:07:07,556 --> 00:07:11,797 the birds from wild nests. Taking them at seven weeks old 118 00:07:11,914 --> 00:07:12,680 is crucial. 119 00:07:14,297 --> 00:07:18,000 STEVE EGERTON-READ: We want them to be as independent as possible 120 00:07:18,156 --> 00:07:22,485 of their parents, so they don't require any hand rearing or any 121 00:07:23,016 --> 00:07:26,453 intensive care. They're pretty much fully grown, they just 122 00:07:26,485 --> 00:07:29,026 haven't quite developed the power of flight. 123 00:07:29,686 --> 00:07:32,327 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: In fact, their very first flight is a bit of a 124 00:07:32,370 --> 00:07:34,432 VIP trip down to the Isle of Wight. 125 00:07:37,397 --> 00:07:40,100 STEVE EGERTON-READ: It's in a little Cessna coming down from 126 00:07:40,116 --> 00:07:42,780 Inverness to Bembridge Airfield. 127 00:07:44,819 --> 00:07:46,678 Yeah, a little private plane, yeah. 128 00:07:47,647 --> 00:07:49,678 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Then, over the next six weeks, the birds are 129 00:07:49,710 --> 00:07:53,256 fed mainly on fish, conger eel, rabbit and canada goose in 130 00:07:53,303 --> 00:07:54,991 preparation for being released. 131 00:07:57,616 --> 00:07:59,497 STEVE EGERTON-READ: They get a really a real smorgasbord if you 132 00:07:59,518 --> 00:08:02,841 like for those six weeks that are with us and they grow really 133 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:06,681 fast. We get checked by a vet just prior to release and then 134 00:08:06,682 --> 00:08:07,962 we fit GPS devices. 135 00:08:08,908 --> 00:08:11,251 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: The project aims to establish 60 breeding 136 00:08:11,290 --> 00:08:13,931 pairs that will spread out across the south coast of 137 00:08:13,947 --> 00:08:16,822 England and Steve is 37 pairs in. 138 00:08:21,462 --> 00:08:23,697 STEVE EGERTON-READ: So these birds take a long time to reach 139 00:08:23,743 --> 00:08:26,759 breeding maturity they're sort of talking four or five years. 140 00:08:28,108 --> 00:08:30,832 And in that sort of interim period, they kind of go all over 141 00:08:30,833 --> 00:08:35,015 the place. So these GPS devices, imagine your mobile phone, 142 00:08:35,016 --> 00:08:35,976 they're a little bit smaller than that. 143 00:08:35,977 --> 00:08:38,722 They weigh about 50 grams and they fit on the bird like a 144 00:08:38,738 --> 00:08:41,402 rucksack. So there's a harness, so we stitch the harness 145 00:08:41,465 --> 00:08:43,426 together. We don't stitch it onto the bird, but the harness 146 00:08:43,441 --> 00:08:46,832 stitches together. And at some point, the harness will fall 147 00:08:46,847 --> 00:08:50,113 apart and the device will fall off the bird. But these devices 148 00:08:50,129 --> 00:08:53,472 are so incredible. They're these really natty things. They've got 149 00:08:54,051 --> 00:08:56,769 little mobile phone SIM card in them. And it gives you real, 150 00:08:57,704 --> 00:09:01,005 real power in understanding what the birds are doing in the 151 00:09:01,024 --> 00:09:01,544 landscape. 152 00:09:02,046 --> 00:09:04,167 So to give you an essence of that, like if I wanted to I 153 00:09:04,168 --> 00:09:07,022 could send a message to a bird now and say, or device rather 154 00:09:07,023 --> 00:09:07,468 than bird, 155 00:09:08,444 --> 00:09:09,743 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: It is a bird. 156 00:09:09,743 --> 00:09:12,288 STEVE EGERTON-READ: It's not going write back though, and say 157 00:09:12,569 --> 00:09:16,202 you know I want the device to log points every second, I want 158 00:09:16,203 --> 00:09:19,327 it to transmit to me every 10 minutes. And what that allows us 159 00:09:19,328 --> 00:09:23,312 to do of course is understand where the key landscapes are and 160 00:09:23,313 --> 00:09:25,796 we can go and stand in a field and we can monitor them for long 161 00:09:25,812 --> 00:09:26,515 periods of time. 162 00:09:26,904 --> 00:09:28,665 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: So if you can track them with the GPS 163 00:09:29,466 --> 00:09:32,870 harnesses, have you tracked them leaving the Isle of Wight? 164 00:09:33,152 --> 00:09:34,753 STEVE EGERTON-READ: Pretty much all of them leave the Isle of 165 00:09:34,754 --> 00:09:37,577 Wight at some point in their lives. So young white-tailed 166 00:09:37,632 --> 00:09:42,476 eagles, really from ages one, two, three, they're really 167 00:09:42,538 --> 00:09:43,038 nomadic. 168 00:09:45,788 --> 00:09:48,288 Perhaps the most remarkable set of journeys comes from a pair 169 00:09:48,366 --> 00:09:53,195 now that are established in Poole Harbour. The male bird is 170 00:09:53,196 --> 00:09:57,662 a bird called G463. So he made an exploration down to Cornwall, 171 00:09:57,662 --> 00:10:01,334 Lands End, a sort of mini autumn holiday I guess. And then he 172 00:10:01,475 --> 00:10:04,277 settled in South Somerset for the rest of the winter. 173 00:10:05,199 --> 00:10:12,628 But then come the spring, he went on this epic exploration up 174 00:10:12,683 --> 00:10:17,332 into East Anglia. And then later that spring, became the first of 175 00:10:17,333 --> 00:10:19,972 the birds that we released to cross the English Channel. Made 176 00:10:19,973 --> 00:10:23,160 this epic journey through France, Belgium, the 177 00:10:23,161 --> 00:10:26,644 Netherlands, and into Denmark. You think, is he going to come 178 00:10:26,660 --> 00:10:35,431 back? And he did. 179 00:10:35,432 --> 00:10:38,896 The following year, he went back to all the same places he'd 180 00:10:38,911 --> 00:10:42,599 visited the year before. He'd created a memory map of where he 181 00:10:42,638 --> 00:10:45,482 was. You know, remember the key points of the landscape, you 182 00:10:45,483 --> 00:10:47,544 know, down to the same trees, he was roosting in the same trees, 183 00:10:47,685 --> 00:10:49,950 but he did come back. 184 00:11:03,454 --> 00:11:05,894 This behaviour is really important and that's why part of 185 00:11:05,895 --> 00:11:09,735 the reason the translocation works is this natal philopatry, 186 00:11:09,736 --> 00:11:13,060 we call it. So the birds want to come back to where they regard 187 00:11:13,114 --> 00:11:17,075 home to be. And for them, the Solent shore and the surrounding 188 00:11:17,138 --> 00:11:20,153 wetlands, Poole Harbour, Chichester Harbour, and even the 189 00:11:20,185 --> 00:11:23,263 freshwater wetlands inland, that's home. 190 00:11:23,372 --> 00:11:27,482 But regardless of where they go, they all try to come back to 191 00:11:27,622 --> 00:11:31,200 sort of within 50, 60 kilometres of us here on the Isle of Wight. 192 00:11:31,607 --> 00:11:34,620 And really that's what we want them to do of course because we 193 00:11:34,621 --> 00:11:36,981 want to try and establish a breeding population here on the 194 00:11:37,001 --> 00:11:42,290 south coast of England and we hope sort of within 10 years of 195 00:11:42,306 --> 00:11:45,290 starting the project we'll establish somewhere between six 196 00:11:45,368 --> 00:11:49,957 to ten pairs of eagles within 50 to 60 kilometers of the Isle of 197 00:11:49,957 --> 00:11:52,915 Wight from that initial translocated population and at 198 00:11:52,916 --> 00:11:55,306 that point the population will be self-sustaining. 199 00:11:56,087 --> 00:11:59,306 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Brilliant. Do they have territories? So at 200 00:11:59,524 --> 00:12:02,972 some point will there be so many eagles on the Isle of Wight and 201 00:12:03,072 --> 00:12:07,318 surrounds that they need to push out into other areas. Is that 202 00:12:07,377 --> 00:12:08,435 kind of part of the idea? 203 00:12:08,838 --> 00:12:09,842 STEVE EGERTON-READ: That's a good question. I mean, like, 204 00:12:10,115 --> 00:12:13,724 yeah, white-tailed eagles are really territorial. So, you 205 00:12:13,725 --> 00:12:17,506 know, this is the apex avian predator. So it's right at the 206 00:12:17,507 --> 00:12:22,178 top of the avian food chain. And it has really massive territory. 207 00:12:22,271 --> 00:12:25,349 So you're looking at 10 to 30 square kilometres. 208 00:12:25,381 --> 00:12:27,896 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Wow. So, Steve, shall we wander a little 209 00:12:27,897 --> 00:12:29,396 bit further out onto the salt marsh. 210 00:12:29,910 --> 00:12:31,612 STEVE EGERTON-READ: Well, yeah, sure. We'll see what we can see. 211 00:12:36,138 --> 00:12:38,622 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: One of Steve's jobs as project officer is to 212 00:12:38,677 --> 00:12:41,661 work with the farming community on the Isle of Wight and respond 213 00:12:41,700 --> 00:12:46,489 to any local issues or concerns. While in Scotland, evidence 214 00:12:46,552 --> 00:12:49,864 indicates some white-tailed eagles scavenge dead lambs and 215 00:12:50,083 --> 00:12:53,333 very occasionally take small or weak black-faced sheep. 216 00:12:53,927 --> 00:12:56,474 This has been found to be due to the open-range nature of 217 00:12:56,489 --> 00:13:00,231 agriculture, bad weather, and lack of alternative wild prey. 218 00:13:01,794 --> 00:13:04,677 But the team take concerns from farmers and livestock managers 219 00:13:04,735 --> 00:13:07,759 seriously and have worked with researchers in the Netherlands 220 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:10,462 and Ireland where there have been successful reintroduction 221 00:13:10,501 --> 00:13:14,353 programmes and no cases of eagles taking lambs or any other 222 00:13:14,384 --> 00:13:14,962 livestock. 223 00:13:17,571 --> 00:13:21,118 So as we go, I have to ask, you mentioned that eagles are 224 00:13:21,119 --> 00:13:25,712 obviously a top apex predator. With a reintroduction like this, 225 00:13:25,853 --> 00:13:28,603 was there ever any worry that they might eat some of the 226 00:13:28,643 --> 00:13:31,425 things that maybe people don't want them to eat, like domestic 227 00:13:31,486 --> 00:13:32,687 livestock, that kind of thing. 228 00:13:33,187 --> 00:13:35,289 STEVE EGERTON-READ: Yeah, I mean, there were a lot of 229 00:13:35,290 --> 00:13:38,230 concerns at the outset of the project from livestock farmers, 230 00:13:38,231 --> 00:13:41,394 there was concerns from conservation managers, you know, 231 00:13:41,395 --> 00:13:44,480 there were concerns about the types of birds they might eat, 232 00:13:45,058 --> 00:13:48,465 or some of the other things that they might impact on a landscape 233 00:13:48,496 --> 00:13:48,824 scale. 234 00:13:49,261 --> 00:13:52,246 And of course, you know, there's also potentially worries from 235 00:13:52,293 --> 00:13:55,230 game or fisheries. But to date, we've had no conflict at all. 236 00:13:55,231 --> 00:13:58,435 And that doesn't mean to say that we are sitting back and 237 00:13:58,596 --> 00:14:01,277 resting on our laurels. We meet a couple of times a year and we 238 00:14:01,297 --> 00:14:04,500 chat about how the birds are doing and about the project more 239 00:14:04,523 --> 00:14:07,906 broadly. And it's an opportunity for anybody to raise any worries 240 00:14:07,907 --> 00:14:10,805 that they might have. And alongside that, we do a whole 241 00:14:10,984 --> 00:14:14,726 host of really proactive engagements with landowners, 242 00:14:14,836 --> 00:14:19,851 with land users and conservation groups too. So we feel things 243 00:14:19,852 --> 00:14:23,976 are going really positively. And broadly speaking, most people 244 00:14:23,977 --> 00:14:26,617 are really, really positive and excited about the project. 245 00:14:29,394 --> 00:14:31,176 So I suppose we'd better stop here and have another little 246 00:14:31,216 --> 00:14:32,417 scan, eh? Yeah. 247 00:14:35,601 --> 00:14:39,226 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: The tide's pretty much fully out and it's a 248 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:41,624 great place out on the salt marsh here, we're kind of 249 00:14:41,647 --> 00:14:44,687 surrounded by the wetland. So it's a great place to be 250 00:14:44,772 --> 00:14:49,562 scanning and looking for eagles. So Steve, you can't do a job 251 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,749 like yours without being really passionate about it. What is it 252 00:14:52,843 --> 00:14:57,155 about eagles that kind of gets you up in the morning and keeps 253 00:14:57,156 --> 00:14:57,921 you motivated? 254 00:14:58,883 --> 00:15:00,365 STEVE EGERTON-READ: The more you watch them, the more interesting 255 00:15:00,385 --> 00:15:03,807 you find them as well. And, you can get connected with 256 00:15:03,850 --> 00:15:07,155 individuals quite easily because they, they're very apparent in 257 00:15:07,156 --> 00:15:10,373 the landscape. When you watch other birds, I enjoy watching 258 00:15:10,412 --> 00:15:12,819 all birds. I think they're fantastic, but you don't 259 00:15:12,834 --> 00:15:14,834 necessarily know that's the same individual that you saw 260 00:15:14,912 --> 00:15:17,959 yesterday. Whereas with eagles, you know, which individual it 261 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:21,944 is. And for me personally, you know, I've, I've, I've known all 262 00:15:21,959 --> 00:15:25,756 these birds throughout their lives and that's, so every, 263 00:15:25,975 --> 00:15:27,475 every time I see them, is quite special. 264 00:15:28,547 --> 00:15:30,670 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: But it's not just Steve who enjoys the eagles 265 00:15:30,729 --> 00:15:32,010 being back on the island. 266 00:15:33,412 --> 00:15:35,354 STEVE EGERTON-READ: There's lots of people that perhaps didn't 267 00:15:35,393 --> 00:15:38,873 necessarily have an intimate connection with nature before 268 00:15:39,061 --> 00:15:41,678 who are now thinking, actually, it's really cool and 269 00:15:41,897 --> 00:15:44,889 white-tailed eagles are really amazing. And white-tailed eagles 270 00:15:44,998 --> 00:15:48,967 did once have a really deep cultural value to us. In the 271 00:15:49,061 --> 00:15:52,467 Iron Age and the Roman period, these birds were really highly 272 00:15:52,545 --> 00:15:55,420 revered and had high spiritual value. 273 00:15:55,421 --> 00:15:59,080 The return of this bird is kind of put the white-tailed eagle 274 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:02,703 back in that cultural spotlight and we have works of art that 275 00:16:02,704 --> 00:16:04,805 are going around. So I think there was one christmas where 276 00:16:04,844 --> 00:16:08,008 somebody made this beautiful christmas card with white-tailed 277 00:16:08,047 --> 00:16:11,992 eagle and a santa sleigh in the background over The Needles. It 278 00:16:11,993 --> 00:16:16,133 was fantastic. Seriously put in the spotlight by this fantastic 279 00:16:16,211 --> 00:16:19,132 mural that you can go and see on the Columbine building in East 280 00:16:19,132 --> 00:16:22,648 Cowes and it's like 12 meters high and about 60 meters long I 281 00:16:22,649 --> 00:16:25,508 think. And the centrepiece of this artwork is this huge 282 00:16:25,539 --> 00:16:28,421 white-tailed eagle in this art deco style, it's absolutely 283 00:16:28,461 --> 00:16:28,981 beautiful. 284 00:16:29,821 --> 00:16:33,684 It's really becoming part of Isle of Wight's cultural 285 00:16:33,747 --> 00:16:35,882 identity and you know we're really proud here on Isle of 286 00:16:35,882 --> 00:16:39,235 Wight I feel and that we have a place that it started again 287 00:16:39,290 --> 00:16:42,071 where this resurgence of this bird in southern England this is 288 00:16:42,095 --> 00:16:44,423 where it happened and we're part of that story. 289 00:16:50,282 --> 00:16:53,298 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Just having one last scan out across this 290 00:16:53,423 --> 00:16:57,942 incredible salt marsh. There are a few distracting looking 291 00:16:58,002 --> 00:17:04,848 cormorants sitting on the tops of posts, but no eagles. Should 292 00:17:04,849 --> 00:17:06,449 we start wandering back inland? 293 00:17:06,613 --> 00:17:07,668 STEVE EGERTON-READ: I suppose we should. 294 00:17:08,613 --> 00:17:11,660 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: So the whole aim of the project is to 295 00:17:11,973 --> 00:17:15,238 re-establish a breeding population in the south of 296 00:17:15,285 --> 00:17:20,316 England. The million dollar question, have the eagles bred? 297 00:17:20,707 --> 00:17:24,863 STEVE EGERTON-READ: Yes. So in 2023, we're really lucky in 298 00:17:24,895 --> 00:17:25,035 that he 299 00:17:25,279 --> 00:17:29,598 first pair of eagles bred on the south coast of England in 240 300 00:17:29,622 --> 00:17:30,122 odd years 301 00:17:30,122 --> 00:17:30,919 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Amazing! 302 00:17:30,919 --> 00:17:32,462 STEVE EGERTON-READ: So it was actually it was really it was a 303 00:17:32,463 --> 00:17:35,020 really surprising sort of event because the pair were really 304 00:17:35,083 --> 00:17:38,325 young. So it was a pair of birds that were released in 2020 and 305 00:17:38,326 --> 00:17:41,348 you'll remember of course I said to you earlier these birds don't 306 00:17:41,380 --> 00:17:43,817 breed till they're about four or five normally. So these birds 307 00:17:43,848 --> 00:17:47,270 were three and they bred at three years old and they raised 308 00:17:47,271 --> 00:17:53,442 a single chick, a male called G625 and then last year 2024, 309 00:17:53,505 --> 00:17:55,891 they've bred again. And they had two, they're twins. 310 00:17:55,891 --> 00:17:55,951 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Oh, amazing! 311 00:17:55,951 --> 00:17:58,912 STEVE EGERTON-READ: So a really fantastic moment. You want that 312 00:17:59,131 --> 00:18:01,814 early success. And then when you get it, it's just, it's very, 313 00:18:01,873 --> 00:18:02,771 very satisfying. 314 00:18:03,349 --> 00:18:05,795 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Yeah. And on a kind of, on a personal level, 315 00:18:05,974 --> 00:18:09,178 did you feel emotional when they fledged chicks? 316 00:18:09,474 --> 00:18:11,107 STEVE EGERTON-READ: I mean, it was one of those weird things. 317 00:18:11,108 --> 00:18:14,154 You can't, it just feels so surreal. You don't, don't really 318 00:18:14,201 --> 00:18:19,295 believe it's happening in truth. It's strange because 2023, that 319 00:18:19,357 --> 00:18:23,154 period, you know, the birds incubate for about 38 days and 320 00:18:23,155 --> 00:18:26,782 then the chicks from a nest for another 11 weeks. It felt like 321 00:18:26,783 --> 00:18:31,405 an age, every moment you thought oh my god like yeah not it's not 322 00:18:31,448 --> 00:18:35,053 happening oh this could go wrong. You worry about things 323 00:18:35,069 --> 00:18:38,952 and time seems to go really slowly and then last year you 324 00:18:38,975 --> 00:18:43,170 sort of blink and you miss it. They've done it been there 325 00:18:43,171 --> 00:18:46,686 before it's okay like but of course there's a long way to go, 326 00:18:46,858 --> 00:18:50,483 before we can say your bird's secure in Southern England. So 327 00:18:50,952 --> 00:18:51,748 time will tell. 328 00:18:51,983 --> 00:18:52,827 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Fingers crossed. 329 00:18:58,895 --> 00:19:02,159 Thanks for listening to this episode of Wild Tales. If you 330 00:19:02,198 --> 00:19:06,202 liked it, why not give us a like or a follow? We'll be back soon 331 00:19:06,241 --> 00:19:08,983 with another episode in a couple of weeks. But if you can't wait 332 00:19:09,023 --> 00:19:12,148 that long, why not check out our other nature podcast, Nature 333 00:19:12,171 --> 00:19:17,319 Fix. Or if you like your history too, there's Back When. I'll see 334 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:18,054 you next time.