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Suffolk Sea Eagles? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Sy V
- Start date
wild freckle
Well-known member
The RSPB article on the possible reintroduction
http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-229952
http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-229952
jurek
Well-known member
Sadly, true - this happened with Choughs in Cornwall. Hope for the best!
jurek
Well-known member
150 juveniles per 10 years is not many. Dunno precise mortality, once it was 90% until breeding, now it perhaps improved much, but its just 1-3 pairs forming from each year's released birds.
Yes, white-tailed/sea eagles are normally tree nesters in the lowlands.
I have yet to see any evidence that sea eagles ever bred in East Anglia , thus this project is a introduction not a reintroduction. The evidence that they were ever here is scanty to say the least based of some bones found in some medieval dump and the names of a couple of villages that just happen to have eagle in their name. Last time I was in Scotland a number of non birding locals were calling buzzards eagles so I do not think the mere fact that a village has eagle in its name has any bearing at all. As for the bones they could have come from wintering birds .
However on the one hand I would love to see these great birds , but and its a big BUT, the risk to many conservation projects such as the reestablishment of common crane and bittern far outweighs any benefit we might have from having these birds. In this present age we are hearing more and more about disturbance becoming an issue on our coastal marshes. The disturbance a hunting pair of eagles is likely to be far more than human disturbance in many places. Finally East Anglia is ear marked to have a major increase in wind turbines. I can only quote what happened when 64 turbines were put up in a area holding sea eagles in Norway " Wind turbines have caused a number of deaths of Europe's largest eagle species, on isolated islands off the Norwegian coast. The discovery of four dead White-tailed Eagles, and the failure of almost 30 others to return to nesting sites within the wind farm area, has increased fears that wind farms elsewhere could take a similar toll on native and migrating wild birds. "
Lets keep these great birds as rare winter visitors rather than treat them as tourists attractions that if they do survive they would doubtless become.
However on the one hand I would love to see these great birds , but and its a big BUT, the risk to many conservation projects such as the reestablishment of common crane and bittern far outweighs any benefit we might have from having these birds. In this present age we are hearing more and more about disturbance becoming an issue on our coastal marshes. The disturbance a hunting pair of eagles is likely to be far more than human disturbance in many places. Finally East Anglia is ear marked to have a major increase in wind turbines. I can only quote what happened when 64 turbines were put up in a area holding sea eagles in Norway " Wind turbines have caused a number of deaths of Europe's largest eagle species, on isolated islands off the Norwegian coast. The discovery of four dead White-tailed Eagles, and the failure of almost 30 others to return to nesting sites within the wind farm area, has increased fears that wind farms elsewhere could take a similar toll on native and migrating wild birds. "
Lets keep these great birds as rare winter visitors rather than treat them as tourists attractions that if they do survive they would doubtless become.
DavidP
Well-known member
The last English breeding pair was in 1780 on the Isle of Wight apparently. So don't know why they don't re introduce them here, lots of high cliffs, rabbits galore and some good estuaries nearby, loads of wintering geese. Seems like it would be a good place to start, most of the coastline is owned by the national trust.
Mike Shurmer
Well-known member
... and the fact the birds re-established themselves naturally saved an awful lot of money and resources that would have been spent on a reintroduction project.
Its very hard to provide hard evidence from a couple of hundred years ago, but all logic and reason says that they would have been there, its prime habitat for WTE.
Monahawk
Well-known member
The reintroduction programme of these magnificent birds in Co Kerry has proved so far to be a bit 'iffy', with some birds poisoned. Whether this is accidental or deliberate, the jury is still out on this one. Attitudes towards these types of reintroductions here in Eire, noble as they are, appear to be alot more negative than say in England. Sadly birds of prey are seen as baddun's in the eyes of many [not all] farmers and landowners.
The reintroduction of Sea Eagles to East Anglia will require alot of support and considerable luck.
The reintroduction of Sea Eagles to East Anglia will require alot of support and considerable luck.
still sounds a lot - a lot of birds and a lot ofmoney.
how many pairs could the area hold?
and another thing - once established in east anglia they will most likely spread elsewhere, not saying its a bad idea but there maybe objections if birds are accused of carrying off humans, cows, cars or houses.
how many pairs could the area hold?
and another thing - once established in east anglia they will most likely spread elsewhere, not saying its a bad idea but there maybe objections if birds are accused of carrying off humans, cows, cars or houses.
Mike Shurmer
Well-known member
Isn't there a claim that the WTE at Brill caught a small dog? :-O
Amarrillo , With such a large distinctive bird as a sea eagle I would have thought historic evidence would have been easy to find. After all we have plenty of evidence of birds like cranes dating back 500 years , we know when greylags ceased to breed in the Fens. When the last Great Auk was killed in the Uk when Avocets , ruffs , ospreys and so on died out as breeding species. ( I know they are back now ).There had been lots of documentation on scavengers over battlefields , ravens , crows , buzzards yet I have not come across anything about sea eagles. We know red kites were common urban birds until 300 years ago so how come we seem to have so little evidence about sea eagles in Eastern England? I would suggest the evidence is so scarce because they were not here as breeding birds in recent history. Every mans hand would have been against them since humans started to keeping sheep, pigs and chickens. Yes they may have been about in Roman times , but the habitat and landscape management has changed greatly since that time.
I would have thought such an iconic bird would have had its place in local mythology if it was ever here so if anyone has any concrete evidence that sea eagles bred in east Anglia in the last 400 years I would love to see it.
I would have thought such an iconic bird would have had its place in local mythology if it was ever here so if anyone has any concrete evidence that sea eagles bred in east Anglia in the last 400 years I would love to see it.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but nobody 're-introduced' Little Egrets, Cetti's Warblers, Hobbies, Marsh Harriers, Peregrine Falcon's, or Buzzards ( in east anglia ), and yet, 20 years ago, I hardly ever sighted one. Maybe the bird fairy sprinkles some magical bird-dust every so often?
jurek
Well-known member
Dunno - in Germany and Poland, they are pushing their limits - trying to nest progressively on smaller waterbodies and closer to humans than thought possible before. Perhaps one pair per every bigger waterbody, marshland or estuary?
About the often-talked natural colonization.
WTE - like many birds - have this that when population grows, new pairs rather 'cram' into the suboptimal habitat within the existing range rather than settle in the optimal habitat far away.
I think I wondered already some time ago: if anybody measured the speed of colonization in Europe of WTE and also species like Osprey or Peregrine or Crane. And tried to predict how long it would take to colonize England from the nearest population in Germany. Judging how long it takes to colonize eg. empty areas in Germany and Poland, this speed is in the region of 250km per 50 years, or 5 km per year. So, WTE might colonize England naturally, but literally in proverbial 'in the long run when we will all be dead'.
NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
I have noticed that a strong 'anti' campaign has already started, with several large notices in the Wangford/Blythburgh area beside the A12 proclaiming 'SAY NO TO SEA EAGLES HERE'.
Ron
Ron
King Edward
Well-known member
In The Times today: Why the sea eagle has no right to land here
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