Majestic, yes. But letting 8ft killer sea eagles loose on the South Coast is just bird-brained, writes ROBIN PAGE 

  • Britain's largest bird of prey weighs up to 15 lb and has 8ft wingspan
  • When an adult glides past at low level, it’s like seeing a barn door float by
  • But their successful reintroduction in Scotland has come at a cost 
  • For all their beauty, sea eagles are rapacious killers with a wide range of prey 

Beautiful, powerful and simply unforgettable, the sea eagle is probably Britain’s most stunning bird. 

The first time I saw an adult in full flight was in 1981 as it circled in a clear blue sky above the island of Rum, the sun catching the white fringe to its tail. What a creature!

Weighing up to 15 lb and with an incredible wingspan of up to 8ft, the sea eagle is Britain’s largest bird of prey. 

Beautiful, powerful and simply unforgettable, the sea eagle is probably Britain’s most stunning bird. The first time I saw an adult in full flight was in 1981 as it circled in a clear blue sky above the island of Rum, the sun catching the white fringe to its tail. What a creature!

Beautiful, powerful and simply unforgettable, the sea eagle is probably Britain’s most stunning bird. The first time I saw an adult in full flight was in 1981 as it circled in a clear blue sky above the island of Rum, the sun catching the white fringe to its tail. What a creature!

When an adult glides past at low level, it’s like seeing a feathered barn door float by.

I had gone to Rum in the Hebrides to see a scheme aimed at reintroducing the sea eagle to Scotland following decades of harassment from shepherds and fishermen, and also widespread poisoning caused by chemicals in agricultural sprays and dips.

Young birds had arrived by plane from Norway before their release on the Scottish islands, a process repeated every year from 1975 to 1985. 

And what a success it has been. There are now officially 130 pairs of sea eagles breeding in Scotland. 

But this has come at a cost, particularly to farmers and crofters, many of whom are already on a financial precipice.

For all their beauty, sea eagles are rapacious killers with a wide range of prey from fish and gulls to hares and carrion.

They have even been known to take an interest in small dogs.

The Scottish Farmer magazine regularly shows pictures of lambs killed and half-eaten by eagles and a fortnight ago it showed another victim, a protected golden eagle.

Then, last week, came one of the most shocking images of all – a lamb hoisted high in the air by a sea eagle heading off to an eyrie on the Isle of Mull to feed its young.

Many believe sheep farming is becoming impossible in some areas of western Scotland, particularly in Argyll and on Skye, as a direct result of these predators.

One shepherd in Argyle reckons that last year 30 per cent of his lambs were taken. How can farmers continue to exist with losses like that?

The question is becoming more urgent in England too, as Natural England has given the go-ahead to a scheme introducing sea eagles to the Isle of Wight, the idea being that they will spread along the South Coast. 

This plan involves releasing 60 young Scottish eagles over five years – and is utterly misconceived.

What the enthusiasts call ‘rewilding’ is a catastrophe for the 135 farmers on the Isle of Wight and their 40,000 sheep.

But their reintroduction has come at a cost, particularly to farmers and crofters, many of whom are already on a financial precipice. For all their beauty, sea eagles are rapacious killers with a wide range of prey from fish and gulls to hares and carrion

But their reintroduction has come at a cost, particularly to farmers and crofters, many of whom are already on a financial precipice. For all their beauty, sea eagles are rapacious killers with a wide range of prey from fish and gulls to hares and carrion

At a packed meeting of farmers and conservationists a few weeks ago, the farmers unanimously rejected sea eagles, but their view seems to have been ignored by Natural England.

Certainly, there is little of conservation value in the scheme, which has been proposed by a charity called The Roy Dennis Foundation – its founder worked for the RSPB for 20 years in Scotland – and Forestry England, which is part of the Forestry Commission.

For a start, the sea eagle, also called the white-tailed eagle, is not actually in danger – a fact confirmed by the International Union For Conservation Of Nature, which oversees vulnerable species.

What about the historical place of the bird? Should we not be seeking to restore the Isle of Wight to its natural state? Well, there have been no sea eagles on the island for several hundred years.

And then come the false claims that sea eagles are not actually responsible for the bloodshed in Scottish fields. 

This is despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. ‘We are aware of the image taken in the Isle of Mull,’ said a spokesman for the Roy Dennis Foundation, referring to last week’s picture. 

Last week, came one of the most shocking images of all – a lamb hoisted high in the air by a sea eagle heading off to an eyrie on the Isle of Mull to feed its young

Last week, came one of the most shocking images of all – a lamb hoisted high in the air by a sea eagle heading off to an eyrie on the Isle of Mull to feed its young 

‘It is important to recognise that there is no evidence that the white-tailed eagle pictured killed the lamb.

‘It is much more likely the lamb was already dead and its carcass has been picked up by the eagle.’

It’s not likely at all, in fact: farmers are banned from leaving carcasses lying around on their land.

It reminds me of the time 40 years ago when I was in the Lake District with a conservationist looking after the last pair of golden eagles in England.

‘What are they feeding on?’ I asked. ‘Dead lambs,’ he replied. ‘Well, they are dead by the time they get to the eyrie.’

MATT Legge, of the Isle of Wight branch of the National Farmers Union, is understandably apprehensive and says he knows of no farmer in favour of the scheme.

John Cleaver has spent his whole life working 350 acres on the island. He prides himself on farming in a wildlife-friendly way and feeds a flourishing population of red squirrels with hazelnuts.

But when it comes to the sea eagles, he is appalled. ‘It is madness,’ he says, ‘a disaster in the making.’

Surely we should be flexible in the case of such wonderful creatures, say the rewilders. Why can’t we repeat the success of Mull on the Isle of Wight?

Well, the farmers and crofters on Mull are more tolerant of sea eagles than most, since the birds generate tourism income on a sparsely populated island where there are few other opportunities. 

And Mull is two-and-a-half times larger than the Isle of Wight.

Tonight, the Isle of Wight plan will feature on BBC1’s Countryfile show and I hope, for once, the programme takes account of the hard realities facing British farmers as well as the chocolate-box landscapes it prefers to broadcast.

Too much ‘rewilding’ is a sentimental fad. Introducing sea eagles could be a catastrophe.

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