Sea eagles survey

Sadly, the project seems to have bitten the dust based on this statement from bosses at the Wild Ken Hill estate in North Norfolk.

Eagle project on hold

"We have reluctantly decided that we will not reintroduce White-tailed Eagles at Wild Ken Hill in 2022 as planned.

We continue to believe that the restoration of White-tailed Eagles to Eastern England is an important and inevitable conservation goal, and also that the original plans for a release beginning in 2022 could have been delivered very successfully in partnership with the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation.

We have, however, taken the difficult decision to focus on other aspects of our nationally-significant nature and regenerative farming project. In particular, we feel it is worth putting our full weight behind the pioneering innovations we are making as part of our regenerative farming approach.

The greater biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and improved profitability demonstrated at Wild Ken Hill with this approach over the last 3 years have the potential to have a huge impact across the UK if adopted by others; we feel it is therefore imperative to focus on these.

In addition to regenerative farming, Wild Ken Hill supports beavers and is a release site for Natural England’s curlew headstarting project.

We are sure that the restoration of the White-tailed Eagle to England will continue successfully on the Isle of Wight, and we hope that dispersing juvenile eagles continue to visit Wild Ken Hill and the Norfolk Coast, attracted by the area’s suitable habitat.

We wanted to specifically and publicly offer our apologies to the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, who have been exceptional project partners to date and a pleasure to work with.

We also would like to thank and apologise to those that supported this project when participating in the consultation, particularly the 91% of the general public that offered their support and the many land managers and conservation organisations that did the same.

We will shortly be in touch with those that supported the Crowdfunding campaign to offer a full refund.

LBC members have been invited to take part in a survey on a proposal to introduce sea eagles to Norfolk.

If the project goes ahead, some birds are certain to venture over The Wash.

Apparently, some pig farmers are anxious that free-range piglets might become prey.

The link to the survey is:
wildkenhill.co.uk/category/white-tailed-eagles/

* Incidentally, the review of A Saga of Sea Eagles in the February edition of the club's newsletter, The Heron, has an omission. The discount being offered to LBC members is 20 per cent.