Wildlife lovers tracking a rare white-tailed eagle that left its UK home two years ago were stunned when it finally returned—after an incredible 10,000-mile (approx. 16,100 km) journey.
The rare bird, known as G463, is part of an ongoing conservation project run by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation to help encourage white-tailed eagles to live on the Isle of Wight.
As part of the project, the eagle was tracked for the last two years using a GPS device. The team found G463 had flown to France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. They also found out that the eagle lost one of his feet in December 2021, but continued to fly around Europe for more than a year.
Tim Mackrill, 41, who works at the wildlife foundation, said the two-year-old eagle is the first to cross the English Channel and venture into mainland Europe.
“We’ve found out that for the first two years of their lives, the eagles are very nomadic,” he said. "We’ve had some birds that have flown from the Isle of Wight right to the north coast of Scotland.
“But then we’ve had this one, which is the first one to cross the English Channel, who flew through a lot of Western Europe. It went through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and then it even went all the way up to Sweden last spring.
“But because it was released on the Isle of Wight, it basically regards it as its home now so as it’s getting older and it’s thinking about breeding, it’s coming back to England.”
The birds are all fitted with GPS tracking devices, allowing their flight paths to be monitored.
Last year, one bird returned to the Isle of Wight after 17 months away, during which it traveled 6,800 miles (approx. 10,950 km). Another bird also made it back after spending most of 2021 in northern Scotland and flying 4,000 miles (approx. 6,440 km).
Tim said it wouldn’t have been easy for the G463 eagle to survive with one foot but thinks it has adapted over the last year.
Tim said: “An eagle’s food is naturally fish because they can catch it, so there is a possibility that [G463] is able to catch fish with just one foot.
“They basically grab the fish from the surface of the water with their feet ... and they catch other food such as water birds and rabbits so it’s probable that he is catching live prey.
“White-tail eagles are also scavengers so they might feed on dead animal carcass and bird carcass so it could be a combination of the two things basically.
“The fact he has been alive for a year means that he has learnt to adapt.”
The white-tailed eagle, also known as the sea eagle, is the UK’s largest bird of prey with a huge wingspan of up to approx. 8.2 feet (2.5 meters).
They are usually found along rocky coastlines, estuaries, and lochs near the sea although they will also range inland, especially when they’re younger. The species has been reintroduced to the UK after being driven to extinction.
