News

Sophie-lee is a raptor biologist and has over a decade of experience working with wild, injured, and rehabilitated owls and raptors. She founded the Eagle Reintroduction Wales (ERW) project in 2016 at Cardiff University, in partnership with the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Wildlife Trust Wales as part of her PhD. In 2021, ERW became one of Durrell’s UK Programmes and Sophie-lee joined us as our White-tailed Eagle Project Officer. Durrell and partners at Gwent Wildlife Trust are working to help return the white-tailed eagle to Southeast Wales.  

What sparked your passion for wildlife? 

I've always been besotted with birds of prey. As a young girl in the Welsh valleys, I enjoyed going out onto the hills with my binoculars to find birds. I often spent time observing our local breeding peregrine falcon nest and the odd kestrel fluttering above the moors.  

How did you start working with eagles? 

With my passion for birds of prey sparked, I moved to Scotland to work with satellite-tagged eagles during my Master's degree in 2015. I spent a year living in the middle of the Monadhliath mountains and saw all of the UK's raptor species, including golden and white-tailed eagles. I was then shocked to learn that these were native birds to Wales, and I felt deprived of them as a child. I made a commitment that I would restore these eagles to Wales and consequently set up Eagle Reintroduction Wales to assess the feasibility of returning them to their Welsh home. 

How did you get into your role at Durrell? 

I became more involved with Durrell after I finished my PhD with Cardiff University, during which I researched the feasibility of returning once-native eagle species lost to our landscapes. Our research highlighted that our upland habitats did not hold suitable resources to return golden eagles but that white-tailed eagles were an extremely compatible species to return. Durrell took a keen interest in this research and felt that ERW matched ambitions for the work they had begun in the UK. In 2021 ERW joined Durrell’s UK Programmes team and I became their White-tailed Eagle Project Officer. 

Tell us about your role in Wales. 

My role as White-tailed Eagle Project Officer focuses on working with local communities and stakeholders around our release site in Southeast Wales to understand community perception, including attitudes towards white-tailed eagles and support for the restoration of these birds. My ultimate hope is to return these amazing birds back to their historic home here in Wales. 

What do you enjoy the most about your work and what do you find the most challenging? 

The most enjoyable part of my job is project awareness and transferring knowledge about the biology and behaviour of white-tailed eagles. An estimated 84% of the Welsh public does not know what a white-tailed eagle is. There are common misconceptions about the species, and it gives me great pleasure to tackle these misconceptions on the ground and positively alter community perceptions towards these native-lost birds.   

What is your favourite fact about white-tailed eagles? 

Despite white-tailed eagles being the largest bird of prey in the UK, with an impressive 8ft wingspan, they do not eat much in comparison to their size. They only require 500g of food per day and have a unique digestive system with organs like a crop to store food. These adaptations mean they do not need to eat food every day. 

What is a typical day at work like for you?  

My typical day alters on a day-to-day basis. Previously, the project was assessing whether white-tailed eagles could return to Wales. Given historical data, we know that eagles can biologically survive in the country, but we have spent the past few years determining whether the modern-day landscape is still suitable. Our work involved comprehensive biological, environmental, ecological, and socio-economic feasibility assessments.  

Now that much of that is complete, the project has turned from a research project to an active conservation programme. Most days I’m out working with the general public, communities and stakeholders to discuss the reintroduction of white-tailed eagles through site visits, talks, meetings and webinars. Other days, I work in the office conducting research and working further on feasibility documents and reports.