THE four juvenile White-tailed Eagles released on the Isle of Wight last summer have been visiting various parts of the country recently.

The birds, whose arrival was made possible by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation's partnership with Forestry England, enjoyed a sedentary winter, often living in very small areas and proving highly elusive.

The recent longer days and warmer weather has now prompted a clear shift in behaviour, with all four wandering away from the areas on the Isle of Wight, and in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire previously favoured.

Their satellite transmitters have proved invaluable in monitoring these movements and understanding how young White-tailed Eagles learn the landscape.

Perhaps unsurprisingly G393, the male eagle who spent the winter in Oxfordshire and Buckingham, was the first to make a significant move.

On 20 March, six months after arriving in Oxfordshire, he flew 71km west, aided by a stiff easterly breeze, into Wiltshire, and roosted in an area of woodland between Swindon and Malmesbury.

The next day he was on the move again and headed north-west, flying at altitudes of up to around 500 metres towards the Severn Estuary, and across the estuary to the Forest of Dean.

Data received from the satellite transmitters provides a fascinating insight into the movements of the young eagles during a key period in their development.

Interestingly, the recent explorations of the Isle of Wight birds mirror the behaviour of four satellite tracked juveniles in the Netherlands, who have dispersed into Belgium, France and Germany in recent weeks.

If you are lucky enough to see a White-tailed Eagle over your garden, please send the details to www.roydennis.org/ using the online reporting form.

Given the way these birds readily travel over towns, villages and even cities, there is a chance of seeing one wherever you live, so keep looking up, but please do stay at home and stay safe.