White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla
White-tailed Eagle at Ruckland on April 13th 2011; photograph courtesy of John Clarkson.
Lorand and Atkin (1989) list 17 historic confirmed records of White-tailed Eagles. The first was shot at Nocton in January 1732 and there were another 15 during 1819-1933. These historical records were as follows: Revesby Estate, shot, March 1810; Ancholme Carrs 'about' 1819; immature Great Coates autumn 1862; immature male, shot, Edenham, November 2nd 1883; Beesby, December 8th-17th 1896; immature, shot, North Somercotes October 10th, 1902; immature, Grainsby Park, February 27th-28th 1904; an immature trapped at Manton Warren, Brigg February 9th 1916; one shot, Norton Place, Gainsborough mid-November 1916; immature, Grainsby Park, February 28th-March 2nd 1917, and another there December 25th 1920; one shot, Kirton Marsh, December 1921; one seen at Grainsby, late February 1923; Skegness, January 1925; one in-off the sea, Grainthorpe, January 5th 1927, later seen in the vicinity late February and early March 1927; immature male, shot, Aswarby, March 16th, 1933. (One shot at Southrey, Bardney November 8th 1890 was the subject of some identification uncertainty and is not included in the county archive).
There was a fifty year gap until the next in 1985. Where reported, all previous birds had been described as immatures, so it appears that the individual in 2015 was the first adult. All post-1950 records are listed below and arrival dates of all, where accurately known, are shown in the chart below. More details of the modern-day occurences were as follows:
An immature bird, the first record of the modern era and 17th overall, flew south along the shoreline at Grainthorpe on October 27th, 1985 and was seen later that day at Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR and Gibraltar Point NNR. A 2CY+ bird in 1989 was present at Revesby Reservoir from May 12th-17th at least, perhaps longer, and was presumed to be the bird seen over Manton and Scawby Woods on 21st and later that day at Brigg sugar beet factory, and Scawby Park on May 22nd. A probable 1CY bird which had flown south at Spurn on October 23rd, 1990 was seen to make landfall in the Donna Nook area and was presumably the bird seen over Wyberton and Frampton Marsh on October 27th, and which later wintered in the Horsey area of Norfolk. In 2005, an immature bird was first seen in the Mablethorpe area February 11th, later at Oxcombe February 21st-27th, and then flew to Kirkby-on-Bain before heading west into Derbyshire. It returned to the county on March 8th and was seen at Laughton village before the last sighting at Humberston Yacht club pools on March 23rd. One in Mar 2011, which had wintered in Hampshire 2010/2011 was seen over Burwell Wood, Louth and in the Farforth-Ruckland area on April 3rd before drifting across to Brancaster, Norfolk later the same day. It returned via Gibraltar Point NNR on April 6th and was back at Ruckland April 10-15th. It flew over to Yorkshire on April 18th, was back on the coast at Grainthorpe on 22nd-23rd before returning to Ruckland on 24th where it remained until August 7th, where it may have met its end. In 2015, an adult soared high over Gibraltar Point NNR on April 25th before disappearing to the west. The last and 23rd record was found on the coast on March 3rd, 2018 by two brave souls who ventured out during the severe weather popularly christened the “Beast from the East’.
A satellite-tracked immature bird recently released as part of a reintroduction programme in eastern Scotland, passed south over Northumberland and Yorkshire in early April, and was seen at Alkborough Flats on April 7th-8th 2010. This bird is excluded from the county statistics but it proved that birds from the Scottish reintroductions can reach Lincolnshire. Since then satellite-tagged birds from the Isle of Wight reintroduction scheme, first released there in August 2019, have also been seen in the county. Two of these birds passed through the county in April 2020, one of them spending an extended period around The Wash. These occurrences were well-covered by Mackrill (2020). The species has been increasing in mainland Europe, and while more arrivals from there may be expected, any tracked birds from the reintrouduction scheme need to be excluded to identify genuine vagrants.
1985 An immature flew south over Saltfleetby and Gibraltar Point on October 27th.
1989 One, probably a first summer bird, was seen at Humberston on April 26th, presumably the same bird was at Revesby Park on May 12th-17th; it may have been present since late April and it was presumably the bird that was then seen in the Messingham-Scawby-Brigg area on May 21st-22nd.
1990 An immature was first seen at Wyberton, and shortly afterwards at Frampton Marsh, on October 27th . What was presumed to be the same bird was seen over north Norfolk on the same date, finally turning up at Hickling Broad on October 30th where it remained until December14th.
2005 An immature flew north at Mablethorpe on February 11th Fand was later found at Oxcombe on February 21st-27th, also at Kirkby on Bain on February 27th, Laughton village March 8th, and lastly at Humberston Fitties on March 23rd.
2011 An immature that had wintered in Hampshire, last seen there on March 24th, was at Burwell Wood, near Louth, on April 3rd briefly but departed to Norfolk the same day, before returning to the Ruckland-Farforth area during April 6th-15th. It then moved to Yorkshire, being seen at Spurn on the 18th, but was back in Lincolnshire at Horseshoe Point and Grainthorpe Marsh on April 22nd, at Waithe and the nearby coast around Donna Nook on the 23rd, and again at Ruckland Farforth from April 24th April-August 7th, and it was assumed to have perished.
2015 An adult, which had earlier been seen along the Norfolk coast, passed over Gibraltar Point on April 25th, before moving away to the west.
2018 An immature bird was seen on the beach at Theddlethorpe St. Helens March 3rd 2018 at the height of the 'Beast from the east' weather system. It flew off south and seems likely to have been a true vagrant.
White-tailed Eagle at Saltfleetby, October 27th, 1985 - the first 'modern' county record.
by Mick Mellor.
Note: This species was still assessed by the RC at the time and in 1985 there were records of two wandering immature birds as well as a single adult. They commented that the East coast immature birds are surely all genuine winter visitors from the increasing European population. With these three records, the British total increased to just 12 since 1950 (with considerably more before then, many of them shot).
Circumstances
A dull October day with a north-easterly wind usually guarantees some interesting passerine migrants, but this afternoon an extensive search of various suitable habitats between Saltfleet village and the ‘Rimac’ car park resulted in a distinct lack of small birds. I therefore decided that I had nothing to lose by walking out to sea, where several parties of Great Black-backed Gulls and some Shelducks were standing on the beach close to the mouth of Saltfleet Haven. Accompanied by John Walton, some thirty minutes was spent sea-watching, the highlight being 5 Little Auks flying north, until I noticed that the gull flocks had dispersed out to sea. As I turned to face inland, I could see that every bird on the beach had taken flight, including the Shelducks, and were flying off in all directions. Suspecting a skua to be passing over I quickly scanned the area and was immediately struck by an immense black shape in the sky, approaching from a northwesterly direction. I identified the ‘beast’ as a White-tailed Eagle and drew JW’s attention to it; the bird was by then level with us and approx. 100m away. It continued flying south on steady ponderous wing beats at a height of about 50m above the beach until lost to sight in the direction of Mablethorpe.
Description
This bird was obviously an immature but the encounter was so much of a shock that I could only stand and admire it, resulting in a rather basic description, but it was easily identified on ‘jizz’ alone, notably by the huge, deep bill almost merging into the head contours, the rather long, bulky neck and huge wings, the latter features forming the impression of nearly all head and wings, and the short, all dark, round-tipped tail. The wings were enormous square-looking structures (as viewed from 450) with prominent ‘fingered’ tips; the underbody was noticeably wide and bulky.
The general plumage tone from below was very dark with all black flight feathers and dark blackish-brown wing linings. The underwing coverts were only glimpsed but showed a few large individual feathers with much paler colouration; these seemed to be a dirty greyish-white colour in a rather untidy row confined to the inner part of the wing and the axillaries. The upperwings were noticeably paler on the coverts and formed a contrast with the flight feathers, these being a mixture of browns (light and dull browns) forming a mottled effect as the bird flew away from us.
The bill was dark grey and the head/neck a darker blackish brown becoming subtly paler under the body; the tail appeared all dark, blackish to me, but I paid little attention to this feature. JW, however, noticed some paleness to part of each feather; the feet appeared pale, but the exact colour was not determined. The wing beats were very steady with a supple ‘hand’ movement and quite shallow.
The sighting took place at about 14.40hr and later upon returning home that evening I discovered that what was undoubtedly the same individual had been seen earlier in the day flying south over Filey Brigg and Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, at Grainthorpe/Pye’s Hall and was finally seen, apparently by several observers heading into The Wash at Gibraltar Point.
White-tailed Eagles in Lincolnshire - tracking satellite-tagged birds.
by Tim Mackrill, Roy Dennis Foundation.
Note: this article appeared in Lincolnshire Bird Report 2020 and the author kindly summarised the extensive tracking data of two of the young tagged White-tailed Eagles, G318 and G393, both o=f which spent a prolonged period in the county in 2020.
A White-tailed Eagle passing overhead with slow, laboured strokes of its vast wings is always a memorable sight. In the UK our largest bird of prey is synonymous with northwest Scotland, but with the onset of the Isle of Wight reintroduction project it is a species that birders in Lincolnshire are likely to become increasingly familiar with in the coming years.
Historical research indicates that White-tailed Eagles were once common across the whole of England with the population estimated to be as high as 1,000-1,400 pairs in 500 CE. But like many birds of prey, and particularly those with a penchant for fish, they were relentlessly persecuted from the Middle Ages onwards and the population went into terminal decline. The last pair in southern England bred on Culver Cliff on the Isle of Wight in 1780, and they were slowly eradicated from the rest of the UK during the next century. Following the successful reintroduction of White-tailed Eagles to Scotland - where there are now approximately 150 breeding pairs - the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England embarked on a five-year project to restore the species to the estuaries of southern England. The first six birds were translocated from nests in the northwest Scotland stronghold and released on the Isle of Wight in August 2019, with each individual fitted with a satellite transmitter to enable post-release movements to be monitored in detail. A further seven birds followed in 2020. White-tailed Eagles tend to breed for the first time at four-five years, usually close to their natal site. However, wing-tagging and satellite tracking studies have shown that young birds can be extremely nomadic in their early years, sometimes dispersing over considerable distances and spending one-three years away before eventually returning to their natal area. As such there is a chance of individuals from the Isle of Wight turning up just about anywhere in England during their early explorations, and this proved to be the case in spring 2020.
The satellite tracking data revealed that the Isle of Wight birds were extremely sedentary during their first winter, usually living in an area of just a few square kilometres and spending upwards of 90% of diurnal time perched inconspicuously on the edge of a wood or perhaps a post in an estuary. But then, as the days began to lengthen, their behaviour changed. In March 2020, just as our own movements were severely restricted by the first Covid-19 lockdown, the young eagles became extremely mobile. Longer sunny days encouraged them to begin dispersing away from areas they had favoured during winter. On 4th April two second calendar year birds, male G393 - who had wintered in Oxfordshire - and female G318 - who had been extremely sedentary on the Isle of Wight since release – passed through Lincolnshire as they headed north. That morning G393 left Rutland Water and flew north-east into Lincolnshire, passing just to the west of Mablethorpe at 13:40. It then followed the coast north and was photographed by Owen Beaumont from his garden near Louth at around 14:25. Eventually G393 stopped 10 km (6 miles) south of Grimsby in an area of scattered trees and woods, having flown 80 km (50 miles) since leaving Rutland Water. G318, meanwhile, left its overnight roost site in Berkshire and by 14:00 had flown 104 km (65 mils) and was approaching Daventry in Northamptonshire. It then passed to the west of Rutland Water before continuing north on a similar track through Lincolnshire. G318 eventually settled to roost just 10 km (6 miles) north-west of G393, in a wood between Grimsby and Caistor having flown a remarkable 263 km (163 miles) during the course of the day, aided by a strong southerly wind. The next day both eagles resumed their travels and, after crossing the Humber independently, they met up and flew north together for 17 kilometres (11 miles) en route to the North York Moors.
Both G393 and G318 spent the summer in the North York Moors, where they favoured quiet treelined valleys where Rabbits were abundant. G393 was the first to move south again and it travelled through South Lincolnshire on 1st August, passing over Tallington Lakes and Baston and Langtoft Pits en route to The Wash at Guy’s Head. The bird subsequently spent the rest of the year in West Norfolk. During this period, it spent prolonged periods around the Wash, and made brief forays across the border into Lincolnshire on 7th and 23rd November and 22nd December.
G318, meanwhile, remained in North Yorkshire for much longer, but returned to Lincolnshire on 26th September. It passed over the Humber at 09:45 and then alighted soon afterwards at Alkborough Flats, before continuing south. That night G318 roosted in woodland near Woodhall Spa, and she remained in the vicinity for the next three weeks. During this period its behaviour was very reminiscent of its time in the North York Moors, spending most of each day perched inconspicuously on the edge of woodlands and remaining sedentary for long periods.
On 16th and 17th October G318 visited Kirkby Gravel Pits and then, on 18th, moved 35 km (22 miles) north-east into the Lincolnshire Wolds. Here its core range centred on an area of mixed arable and pastoral land with deeply undulating topography. It spent most of the winter in this area, favouring an area of 8.5km. It seemed that, like in the North York Moors, the main attraction was high lagomorph abundance, combined with quiet woodlands for perching and roosting. The bird was observed catching Rabbits and Brown Hares on a regular basis and was also seen feeding on carrion.
On 4h November G318 flew south into the Lincolnshire Fens and next day visited the coast near Friskney, between Gibraltar Point and Freiston Shore, before heading back inland. It remained in the Fens until 22nd November and during this period roosted each night in a 14-hectare mixed woodland before making a daily 9 km (5.5 miles) commute to a small water storage reservoir where Black-headed Gulls were thought to be the key prey item. G318 became more mobile at the end of November, flying 30 km (19 miles) north to Middlemarsh Farm where it was photographed by Nige Lound on 23rd, and then making another visit to Kirkby Gravel Pits on 28th. G318 subsequently returned to its favoured area in the Wolds and remained there until the end of the year and was again, seen predating both Rabbits and Brown Hares.
As expected, both G393 and G318 have now returned to the South Coast, but the fact that G318 spent such a prolonged period in Lincolnshire demonstrates that immature White-tailed Eagles are likely to become regular visitors in future years. The fact that this bird spent much of her time in inland areas away from water is testament to high Rabbit and Brown Hare abundance. This bird has become a particular lagomorph specialist since release, and this perhaps explains its extended stay in the county. Nevertheless, the coastline around the Wash is very likely to attract more White-tailed Eagles in the coming years.
Very many thanks to the Lincolnshire birders who assisted with monitoring of G318 during her stay in the county. For the latest news on the White-tailed Eagle project please visit www.roydennis.org.
Reference
Mackrill, T (2020). White-tailed Eagles in Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire Bird Report 2020: 239-241.
Mellor, M. (1985). White-tailed Eagle at Saltfleetby, October 27th 1985. Lincolnshire Bird Report 1985 p.66.
(Original account October 2018; updated with reference to the new Birds of Lincolnshire (2021), October 2022)