Conservationists plan to reintroduce sea eagles to England

The long-vanished sea eagle could soon be soaring in the skies above England again under plans drawn up by conservationists.

The UK's largest bird of prey - known as "flying barn doors" because of its size - could be reintroduced into Norfolk next summer if the scheme gets the go-ahead.

The Government's conservation agency Natural England, the RSPB and Anglian Water are hoping to bring back the species, which was driven to extinction in England more than 200 years ago and disappeared from the UK entirely by 1918.

Plans for the reintroduction in England come after the sea eagle, also known as the white-tailed eagle, was brought back to western Scotland in a project that began in 1975.

There are now more than 40 breeding pairs in the area, with 34 chicks produced last year, while another scheme has begun in eastern Scotland.

The Scottish reintroduction has not been without its problems - including poisoning incidents and claims that the birds have been taking lambs.

As a result, Natural England and the RSPB are keen to consult local people and landowners before deciding whether an attempt to reintroduce them in the area should be made.

A preliminary poll of 500 people in north Norfolk revealed that 91% of people were in favour of bringing back the bird of prey.

Natural England's chief scientist Tom Tew said returning the sea eagle to East Anglia would boost the local economy, put a top predator back in its natural place in the ecosystem and be "inspirational" for people.

On the Isle of Mull, Scotland, where the sea eagle has been reintroduced, it has been estimated the birds bring in an extra £1.5 million a year to the local economy.

Dr Tew said: "They are a magnificent bird and the UK's rarest bird.

"Bringing them back would be inspirational to people and a boost for the local economy brought by eco-tourism.

"They are also the missing piece in the jigsaw, the top predator which should be in a wetland ecosystem."

He said Norfolk had been assessed as the best place in England for releasing sea eagles, as there were large areas of wetland habitat.

"People think of them as Norwegian coastal cliff-dwellers, but originally they were widespread lowland wetland birds and we're fairly confident that if we were to release them in Norfolk it would be successful."

Rob Lucking, RSPB area manager for The Wash and North Norfolk, said: "The sight of birds of prey like the white-tailed eagle is a sure sign of a strong and healthy environment.

"Without them our ecosystem is disfigured, our natural and cultural heritage diminished and we are all the poorer."

And he said: "A re-introduction must be done properly and with due regard to the people and wildlife nearby but, if it can be done, then the sight of eagles soaring over Norfolk would give a huge lift to people's spirits and to the local economy."

With only around 7,000 pairs of the eagle in the world, establishing a population in England could also help global efforts to conserve the species, Dr Tew said.

There were more than 200 pairs of white-tailed eagles in the UK in 1700, but they were driven to extinction by persecution.

The last breeding pair in England was recorded in the Lake District in 1794, the last pair in the UK was in Skye in 1916 and the last bird was shot in Shetland in 2007.

If the reintroduction scheme gets the go-ahead the first birds could be brought from Poland for release in summer 2009.

Other birds would be introduced over a period of years, before the first eagles reach maturity and - it is hoped - begin breeding.

Sea eagles are scavengers and generalist predators who feed on fish, birds and medium-sized rabbits, although Natural England acknowledges there is the potential for them to take livestock such as piglets and lambs.

Dr Tew said the organisation had made a commitment that no one would be left out of pocket by the reintroduction of the eagles, and said they would choose areas with plenty of natural prey to minimise any impact on farmers.

And he was quick to reassure people that sea eagles were "not going round killing horses, sheep and babies".

In September, crofters in Wester Ross in the Highlands claimed the eagles reintroduced there had snatched hundreds of lambs.

But the RSPB expressed surprise at the claims that the three pairs could have done so much damage, and said a study on Mull had shown that the eight pairs there had only killed between 30 and 40 lambs in a year.

Many of those killed by sea eagles on Mull would not have survived as they were "non-viable", according to the conservation charity.

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