UK EAGLE OWLS

Some years ago there was a claim that between 12 and 40 pairs of eagle owls were nesting in the wild in the UK, but was there ever any hard evidence for so many breeding pairs?

The answer appears to be no, although it is well established that a few pairs have bred successfully in the wild in northern England. One pair bred on Ministry of Defence land in North Yorkshire for several years earlier this century, fledging at least 20 young. Intriguingly, a young bird from this pair, ringed in 2004, was recovered, electrocuted, under a power line on a Shropshire farm, more than 200km from where it was ringed.

In recent years there have been fewer reports of breeding eagle owls, but it seems likely that there is a small number of pairs nesting in this country. There has been much debate about their origins, and whether they reached here naturally or escaped or were deliberately released. These impressive owls are popular in captivity, and there are thought to be several hundred in collections. The continental population has been increasing in recent years, with expanding numbers of pairs as close as Belgium and the Netherlands. However, eagle owls are known to be reluctant to fly long distances over water, so crossing the North Sea or even the English Channel may well be beyond them. DT