Giant eagles are set to fly over Queen Elizabeth’s Sandringham estate after her son Prince of Wales backed a proposal to reintroduce them to the UK.
Plans have been made to release 60 young white-tailed sea eagles taken from Poland over a 10-year period onto the Wild Ken Hill estate in Norfolk, which is just a matter of minutes away from Sandringham.
Permission had to be gained from neighbours for the programme to continue and Sandringham wasn’t averse to the plans despite Prince Charles’s organic sheep farm being located there.
A Sandringham spokesperson said: “The Sandringham Estate is committed to helping a wide variety of birds and wildlife. We always appreciate the opportunity to contribute to conservation efforts in the area.”
The birds of prey – which grow to have an 8ft wing span – became extinct in Britain in the early 20th century. They were then reintroduced to Scotland in the 1970s, before their reintroduction in England in 2019, on the Isle of Wight. Following a feasibility study and public consultation, there proved to be a lot of support in the area for the reintroduction of the eagles with 91 per cent of locals supporting the plan and 63 per cent of farmers.
Dominic Buscall, Manager at Wild Ken Hill, said they have “listened carefully to concerns” and are “overwhelmed with the support” they’ve received “from all sectors”.
He said: “We are delighted to have been allowed to return sea eagles to the East of England and are overwhelmed with the support we have received from all sectors. We have also listened carefully to concerns where they arose and we are now determined to implement this important conservation project and work with all of our stakeholders to ensure its success.”