Celebrating success stories of 2023
The amazing array of wildlife in the nation’s forests makes them special places to enjoy. As the largest land manager in England, we deliver more habitat for wildlife than any other.
Our dedicated staff and volunteers do incredible work every day to help the wildlife that calls our forests home. We’ve put together our highlights of 2023 to celebrate nature and share the joy!
First white-tailed eagle chick hatches in England
2023 was a huge milestone for our project to bring back white-tailed eagles to the English landscape.
Britain’s largest birds of prey, these impressive birds were once widespread across England until persecution caused their extinction. Since 2019 we’ve been working with Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, reintroducing young eagles on the Isle of Wight in the hope they breed in years to come.
For the first time in over 240 years, a white-tailed eagle chick successfully fledged a nest in the wild in 2023, earlier than expected! Before fledging, the chick was checked over and fitted with a satellite tag so we can track its progress through life.
Baby beavers born in the Forest of Dean
Congratulations were in order for our beaver pair in the Forest of Dean, who became parents in 2023. Two happy, healthy kits were born in Greathough Brook to the new mum who was introduced to the existing male in October 2022.
Since the project began five years ago, beavers have been building dams and creating thriving wetland habitats. The changes they’ve made are slowing the flow of water in the area, helping to protect communities downstream from flooding.
In more great news, the project has been granted a licence to continue for another five years. We’ll be following the beavers and their kits, and monitoring the positive impact that the larger family will have on the environment.
Goshawks back from the brink in southern England
Silently weaving between the trees, the goshawk is one of England’s most elusive birds of prey. So, we were proud to share that the New Forest is now a stronghold for these birds.
We’ve been supporting their return to the forests over the last twenty years, recording 45 breeding pairs in 2023. Even better news, the goshawk population is also beginning to expand to new nesting sites across Hampshire and Dorset.
Goshawks are a good indicator of the health of our forests and the wildlife they support, being top of the food chain. We’ll continue to closely monitor the birds and share their success.
Continued success for ospreys in Kielder Forest
Ospreys visit the UK to breed, undertaking an incredible migration of up to 5,000 km from West Africa. After an absence of over 200 years, the first pair bred in Kielder Forest in 2009 with more pairs returning ever since.
2023 was a wet summer for many of us, and up in Northumberland the weather delayed osprey fledging up to two weeks later than normal. Despite this, a total of 11 young ospreys successfully fledged in another milestone for the Kielder Osprey Project.
This year’s additions mean a total of 114 chicks have flown the nest over 15 consecutive years of breeding at Kielder. We can’t wait to see who returns next year!
‘Dinosaur trees’ planted to save species from extinction
Wollemi pine trees lived alongside the dinosaurs, and it was thought they had become extinct millions of years ago. That was until 1994 when a small group of living trees were found growing in a remote gorge in Australia in an incredible discovery.
Now young Wollemi pines have started new life in England as part of an international conservation effort to establish a healthy population of these critically endangered trees.
Staff at Bedgebury National Pinetum looked after the saplings before distributing to botanic gardens across Europe. Wollemi pines were planted at Bedgebury to become part of the living collection.
Westonbirt Arboretum also received trees and staff were proud to see His Majesty King Charles III taking part in the planting day to help save the species from extinction.
New woodlands leave lasting Coronation legacy for people and nature
Back in the spring we were delighted to announce a series of ‘Coronation Woods’ to officially recognise the Coronation of King Charles III. Funded by the government’s Nature for Climate Fund, we’ll be creating the new woodlands and planting trees between April 2023 and March 2025.
The new woodlands will become a part of the nation’s forests; places for people to connect with nature, for wildlife to thrive and a vital source of sustainable timber. Since kicking off, four new woodlands have already been announced with more to come. Watch this space!
