The political birder: Mark Avery
A proposed White-tailed Eagle reintroduction programme for Norfolk isn’t popular with everyone, but it’s an exciting idea for birders.
A proposed White-tailed Eagle reintroduction programme for Norfolk isn’t popular with everyone.
Ken Hill, an estate in north-west Norfolk, is one of an increasing number of locations looking at rewilding and they are hoping to re-establish White-tailed Eagles there. Situated just north of Snettisham, and a little south and west of Titchwell and Holme, this could well represent another prime location for birding in north-west Norfolk.
Might visits to high tide roosts at Snettisham in late autumn soon be followed by a look at the eagles at Wild Ken Hill? Or the route home from Titchwell take in those eagles instead of a long detour to the Brecks or a speculative pop into the Nene Washes? It’s an exciting prospect.
Not everyone is thrilled. At the mere mention of eagles the East Anglian some members of the farming community have thrown a bit of hissy fit. Will those eagles will be molesting their sugar beet (now sprayed with neonicotinoids again) or their wheat?
No losses
The same thing happened when the Isle of Wight was proposed for the current reintroduction scheme. Sheep farmers (there aren’t many sheep on the Isle of Wight) started asking for compensation for their losses before birds had even been released. My understanding is that not a single lamb has been lost on the Isle of Wight yet – the score is something like ‘dogs 10, eagles nil’ at the moment.
There is a link between the Isle of Wight and north Norfolk – part of the enthusiasm for a White-tailed Eagle release comes from the fact that an Isle of Wight bird has visited Norfolk on its wide-ranging travels and seems to like the area. But the idea goes back a lot further than that.
A dozen years ago a reintroduction project was mooted for East Anglia and the two areas considered were north-west Norfolk and the Suffolk coast. Nothing came of it as Natural England was pressurised to drop the idea by Conservative MPs who suggested that the organisation already wasn’t their favourite public body and that when they took over
❝It was widely believed that the Sandringham Estate was against having raptors circling over their pheasant shoot❞
from Gordon Brown such a project would not be favoured.
Back then, it was widely believed that the Sandringham Estate was against having raptors circling over their pheasant shoot, so I was pleased to see a report in the Daily Telegraph (not where I go for accurate wildlife stories, but likely to speak reliably for large landowners) that the Royals were on the warm side of neutral about the idea. This is progress indeed and, if true, may be due to Prince Charles having much more say in things than his aged father and also a recognition from the Royals that they might need to lead the way on raptor protection on shooting estates. Will grouse shooting cease at Balmoral? Let’s hope that real change is in the air.
The Isle of Wight eagles are ranging widely, and two were present in my part of the world in Northamptonshire at the end of January and beginning of February. One stayed a couple of nights at Pitsford Reservoir and just as he left southwards a female arrived and roosted nearby before heading east and crossing the A45 somewhere between the McDonalds on the edge of Raunds and the Burger King on the edge of Thrapston.
Maybe I won’t have to go to Norfolk to see White-tailed Eagles after all, maybe the Royals will have to come here instead? ■