On Monday which was warm and sunny and windy again! we decided to go in search of White-Tailed Eagles which have been re-introduced to the Isle of Wight.
White-Tailed Eagles are Britain's largest birds of prey and were once widespread over England. However, by 1780, due to human persecution, the population had been wiped out. In 2019 a project was launched to re-introduce the eagles to the south of England. It was led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation. So in the same year, under licence from Natural England, young eagles were released on the Isle of Wight in the hope that eventually 6- 8 pairs would become established on the south coast. The juvenile eagles were collected from nests in the wild in Scotland, under licence from NatureScot, and were taken to the Isle of Wight and placed in aviaries eventually being released. The Island has excellent habitat and foraging areas for sea eagles. Each bird has a satellite tracker so their movements can be traced and in 2023 a young chick was successfully reared - the first to be born in the wild since the C18th. There were also successful breeding attempts in 2024 and 2025. In total 45 young White-Tailed Sea Eagles have been released on the Island.
For obvious reasons, it is not known where the Sea Eagles are released but there are certain locations where they have been sighted. So we decided to visit Newtown Nature Reserve first.
D spotted these lovely little figures when we were waiting at traffic lights in Shalfleet. I think there were quite a few of them around the village. It is a pity we didn't stop and go in search of them especially as Shalfleet has a C12th church with a rather interesting tympanum!!
We finally arrived at Newtown NR. I really like it there as there is such a large range of habitats such as standing salt and brackish water, shingle, tidal mudflats, saltmarsh, unimproved meadows, improved pasture, woodlands and hedgerows and lots of footpaths. In the 1960's there were plans to erect a nuclear power station at the entrance to Newtown estuary but thanks to support from local people and yachtsmen enough money was raised to enable the harbour to be bought for the National Trust.
Oh yes! from the sightings board we could see that White Tailed Eagles had been spotted in the last two months :)
We normally go on the Meadow and Woodland walk which is SO good for butterflies but this time to give us the best chance of a sighting we decided to go to the Seabroke Hide which overlooked the marsh and tidal mudflats.
On the walk to the hide we saw several species to add to the 2026 Wild Plant Challenge.
Hedge Bindweed
Hedge Woundwort
Common Ragwort (not a new species)
Yellow Loosestrife
Bird's Foot Trefoil or "Bacon and Eggs"
Wild Arum berries (not a new species for the list)
Sadly, it was a bad mistake to go to this hide as it was packed with people and on the lower level there was just a small child's bench that was not occupied :( There was an upper level but I was not prepared with my knees to go up a step ladder to reach it although B and D did.
Just a few views of what the hide overlooked.
So we decided to return to the car park and drive to Culver Down by Sandown which is another location from which the eagles have been spotted. I really wished with hindsight that we had done the walk we usually do which leads eventually to East Hide which may have been quieter.
Water Pump
By the car park there is Newtown Town Hall, closed at the moment for restoration/repair although we have been inside before. It dates back to 1699 and has a fascinating history with its connection to Rotten Boroughs and later the Ferguson Gang who anonymously bought up properties and donated them to the National Trust. I read a really good book once on this Gang.
D's photos of the reserve
The Red Squirrel sign was seen on the journey somewhere sadly can't remember where!
However, before we left while the family sat on a bench outside to recover from the disappointment of a packed hide, I had a quick ten minute look around the Church of the Holy Spirit which I have never visited before.
The church was built in 1835 on the site of a ruined medieval chapel. Newtown once had a medieval town and a thriving port but it declined after a French raid in 1377. By the C16th there were only a few houses left.
The font was a bit cluttered but I think the plants were for sale to benefit the church.
The architect of the C19th church was A F Livesay from Portsmouth and according to Pevsner it was an early work of serious Gothic Revival.
East Window
It really was yet another very brief visit. At times I do get fed up of having so little time to explore churches and take photos.
So onto Culver Down which is a chalk downland near Sandown with superb views over the sea and surrounding area.
This is the Yarborough Monument - a large granite obelisk built in 1849 as a memorial to Charles Anderson-Pelham, the first Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron. We stopped off briefly here for an icecream.
There are several car parks and we parked right at the tip of the headland. We spotted two new species for the 2026 Wild Plant Challenge.
Mallow again!
Hogweed
and the two new species Common Knapweed and Sea Bindweed.
Of course we failed to see a White-Tailed Sea Eagle but to be honest we knew it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack and we would have been unbelievably lucky to have spotted one! So we weren't too disappointed!
The following day we visited Farringford House and Walled Garden at Freshwater which was somewhere we had never visited before then onto Freshwater. In the evening I had a look round St John the Baptist, Niton which is very close to the cottage. I will split this into two posts I think as there are lot of photos of what is a very beautiful garden plus a circular walk around parkland.
All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and those marked *D were taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).
Reference: Foresty England Website - White-Tailed Eagle Reintroduction
"Buildings of England Isle of Wight" by David W Lloyd and Nikolaus Pevsner, Yale University Press, 2006.
Church Booklet from the Church of the Holy Spirit
