30th
January
Rare
sighting of White-Tailed Eagle in the New Forest
By Bradley
Halcrow Junior Reporter
BRITAIN'
largest bird of prey has been spotted in the Hampshire countryside.
Birdwatchers
have seen a young white-tailed eagle, a species which has made an
appearance only twice in the area in the past decade, in the New
Forest.
According
to the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, the UK’s largest bird of
prey was last seen in the county in 2011 and 2008 - and before that there was a
60-year gap.
Also
known as a sea eagle it was sighted at the trust’s reserve at Blashford Lakes
last month, and again by the Shell Station on the A31 at Picket Post, which
overlooks Roe Inclosure.
A
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust spokesperson said: “White-tailed
eagles are a rare sighting in Hampshire, with only two previous sightings in
the past 11 years.
“They’re
an impressive sight to see, being the UK’s largest bird of prey with a wingspan
of up to 2.2m (over 7 feet) – but are usually only found in Scotland where 40
pairs breed.
No comments:
Post a Comment