More white tailed eagles released by Isle of Wight's Roy Dennis project

The five-year reintroduction programme is now in its second year.

Led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, it aims to restore this lost species to the Island and the south coast after an absence of 240 years.

Over five years, up to 60 white-tailed eagles will be released with the aim of establishing an initial population of six to eight breeding pairs on the Isle of Wight and along the mainland coast.

Scroll down for a video of the birds being released...

The first six birds were released last year (2019).

Read more: Eagles take trip to East Anglia...then return to Isle of Wight.

It will take several years for the young birds to become established and breeding is not expected to start until at least 2024.

Each bird is fitted with a satellite tracker to enable the team to monitor and track their progress.

Evidence from similar reintroductions suggests that the rate of survival to breeding age is around 40 per cent, and four of the six birds released last year have survived and are doing well.

Read more: The first release group have been spotted as far away as Yorkshire.

As they mature the released white-tailed eagles have, as expected, begun to explore widely.

Their journeys have taken them across much of England as they explore and learn about the landscape for the first time.

Between these explorations, the birds have regularly been seen fishing for grey mullet in the estuaries of the Solent and observed in the skies over the Isle of Wight.

Bird enthusiasts and members of the public across the country have supported the project by reporting sightings of the eagles and sharing these via @seaeagleengland on social media.

Roy Dennis, founder of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation said: “We are delighted we have been able to release this next group of birds this year as planned.

"We have seen from other reintroduction programmes that returning lost species offers real benefits for the health of our environment, and to people and local economies. This is particularly important at these difficult times as people rediscover nature and its benefits.”

Isle of Wight-based Steve Egerton-Read, white-tailed eagle project officer, Forestry England, said: “We are now a year on from the release of the first white-tailed eagles and it’s very encouraging to see them doing well. We have been following their movements closely using the satellite monitoring, field visits and reports from members of the public.

“It will be fascinating to see how the young birds released this summer explore and how they interact with the slightly older birds released in 2019.

"Thank you to everyone who continues to support us by reporting observations and photos of the birds as they travel around the country, we are always keen to hear about your amazing sightings.”

The reintroduction of Britain’s largest bird of prey is being conducted under licence from Natural England, the government’s wildlife licensing authority.

All of the young birds involved in the project are collected under a Scottish Natural Heritage licence from the wild in Scotland and brought to the Isle of Wight.

Natural England chair, Tony Juniper, said: “Today is an important landmark for the conservation of these spectacular birds."

The Isle of Wight was chosen as the location to reintroduce the white-tailed eagles, also known as sea eagles, as it offers an ideal habitat for these coastal loving birds with plentiful sources of food.

It also offers a central position, allowing the birds to disperse and link with other populations in Scotland, Ireland and on the continent.

Ainsley Bennet took this 2019 image of one of the first white-tailed eagles to be released here.

The project is also expected to make a significant contribution to the local economy. A similar scheme on The Isle of Mull was found to have boosted its local economy by up to £5 million a year.

Read more: Isle of Wight eagles take to the skies — County Press meets the birds and gets exclusive photos