After a long absence, golden eagles are once again venturing into England from southern Scotland, raising hopes that they may eventually nest. Among those crossing the border in 2025 was a young male named Talla.

Wildlife enthusiast Ian Glendinning, who has frequently seen golden eagles—the UK’s second-largest bird of prey—in the Scottish Highlands, never expected to spot one in his native Northumberland.

“It was the end of March and I was driving in a remote corner of the national park with a couple of friends and the rear passenger suddenly shouted out ‘what on earth is that?’,” he says.

“I looked over to my right and about 30 metres away there he was, sitting on a rocky outcrop.

“Before I could get my phone out for a photo it glided away, but it was absolutely colossal, there was just no doubting what it was.

“I would defy anyone not to be impressed seeing such a huge bird at close range.”

Talla is part of a population of roughly 50 golden eagles now living in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, thanks to the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP). The initiative was launched when the regional population had dwindled to just a few individuals.

Since 2018, SSGEP has successfully relocated 28 juvenile golden eagles—taken from the Highlands at six to eight weeks old—along with 15 sub-adults aged between four months and three years.

SSGEP chair Michael Clarke said: “Thanks to our satellite tagging, we can confirm that some are beginning to venture into Northumberland and further afield and these sightings reaffirm the importance of us extending our groundbreaking work.”

These birds have not only settled in the Borders but have also been spotted ranging across northern England, including the North Pennines, Lake District, Nidderdale in Yorkshire, and even as far south as the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire.

“While it is too early to say if they are settling in these areas, it is a potentially exciting and significant milestone,” Mr Clarke said.

Golden eagles were eradicated from England and Wales by the mid-19th century, largely due to persecution by landowners concerned about threats to livestock or game birds. Though there was a brief post-war resurgence when shooting pressures eased, the population declined once again. The last known resident golden eagle in England disappeared from the Lake District in 2015.

Since then, the UK’s remaining golden eagles have been mostly confined to the Scottish Highlands and Islands, particularly in rugged, mountainous areas.

Dr Cat Barlow, CEO of Restoring Upland Nature—which now oversees SSGEP—said it’s not surprising that the birds are beginning to explore across the border into England.

“In the first few years of life, the birds will go looking for new territory, looking for a mate, looking for new feeding grounds,” she said.

“They’ll get up high in the sky and head for the areas that look interesting to them, usually those remote upland areas.

“They create a visual map of where they’ve been and when they find what they think is a good place, they’ll settle there and try and attract a mate.”

Welcoming a possible move south, she said: “I’m from County Durham myself and I’d love to see them back for good there.”

However, it remains uncertain whether a stable population could re-establish in areas like the Lake District or the Northumberland Uplands without further translocations from Scotland.

“In theory, as available territories fill up in the south of Scotland, eagles will begin to move into England and they have been visiting old nest sites,” Dr Barlow said.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust CEO Mike Pratt said: “They don’t see a border and the landscape either side of the borders of England and Scotland is so similar it’s not a surprise they’re coming south.

“The sightings are almost like the golden eagles giving their blessing and saying that the landscape can take them.”

The charity recently acquired the 9,500-acre Rothbury Estate in Northumberland, home to the Simonside Hills, with the long-term hope of seeing golden eagles return to the landscape.

“It won’t be a rushed process and we’ll be consulting carefully, but the project in the south of Scotland has been such a success, people really love them.

“I would like to think the same could happen here.”

Since his first surprise sighting in March, Ian Glendinning has seen golden eagles three more times—and says each encounter still fills him with a sense of “wonderment.”

 

 

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