Isle of Wight eagle heads home after 17-month adventure

After almost a year-and-a-half away, White-tailed Eagle 'G393' has returned to the Isle of Wight, where he was among the initial release of birds in summer 2019.

G393's epic 17-month journey, which saw him leave the Isle of Wight in September 2019, saw him clock up a total of 4,904 km wandering around Britain before finally returning to the island on the afternoon of 8 February 2021.

For several months in his first winter, G393's movements were relatively minimal, spending the colder months on the Oxfordshire-Buckinghamshire border. The arrival of spring spurred G393 into action, with his travels truly beginning on 20 March 2020 when he moved into the West Country before cutting back across the Midlands and up to the North York Moors by early April. After heading back south and visiting Norfolk, G393 returned to the North York Moors on 30 April and lingered there until early July.

'G393' photographed at Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, on 5 August 2020 (Tim Smith).

After a month on the moors, G393 returned slowly south to the Midlands throughout July, visiting Rutland Water for the third time on 1 August and moving to west Norfolk later that day, lingering in the area for several months. However, in late January 2021 he was on the move again, spending a few days near Pitsford Reservoir, Northamptonshire, before moving south out of the county in early February and finally returning to the Isle of Wight on 8th.

Find out more about the Isle of Wight eagles at www.roydennis.org/isleofwight.

This map from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation shows the movements of White-tailed Eagle 'G393' over the past 18 months.