A ‘new’ White-tailed Eagle travels the length of the county and this time … the eagle has landed.
Following last week’s overview of White-tailed Eagle occurrences in Northamptonshire, another individual, radio-tagged male ‘G393’ from the Isle of Wight reintroduction scheme, made a more prolonged visit to the county during 13th-14th April. During its short stay, it was seen by only one person and photographed.
This bird’s late March and early April wanderings have been documented here. It was one of the two birds that was in the North York Moors before moving south and covering 223 miles over two days. It then entered Northamptonshire north-west of Hellidon, late in the afternoon of 13th, before choosing a roosting site in a line of trees on farmland between Maidford and Little Preston.
It left its roost site the following morning, drifting east through the county, dropping briefly into a field just south-east of Northampton at 12.15. Somewhat amazingly, it appeared to have passed over unnoticed until, continuing north-east, it was spotted at 13.00 by eagle-eyed Steve Fisher, who was watching the skies above the Nene Valley from his garden in Irthlingborough. Shocked and elated, Steve managed some quick-fire shots with his camera as it drifted over Irthlingborough Lakes & Meadows LNR before it carried on north-east along the valley. A just reward for persistent lockdown garden birding!
At 14.15 it passed Barnwell, having continued to follow the Nene Valley and after this, it left the county, heading into Cambridgeshire and the Nene Washes, south of Peterborough. It subsequently ended up in west Norfolk, where it remained during the evening. If a bird this large can fly almost the entire length of the county undetected, then what else are we missing!
I would like to thank Dr Tim Mackrill (@timmackrill) of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation for providing updates, tracking data (and maps via RDWF/Forestry England) and Steve Fisher (@stanwicktramp) for additional information and images.
POSTSCRIPT
Did you know … Pete Campbell, Proprietor of Cherwell Ironwork Ltd and well-known ex-Northamptonshire birder, made the cages for the young eagles in Charwelton and helped babysit them on the Isle of Wight prior to their release.
Northants birds 
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