Ten young sea eagles have been airlifted from the Western Isles to boost the reintroduction of the species in England.
The fledglings born this spring in Lewis, Harris and Uist will be released into the wild on the Isle of Wight in the next few weeks.
Permission was granted by Natural England and Nature Scotland for the conservation project.
The release is part of a scheme, pioneered by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England, to establish a breeding population of sea eagles in southern England.
Sea eagles - also known as white-tailed eagles - are the UK's largest bird of prey, with a huge wing span of up to 2.5 metres.
They became extinct as a breeding species in England in the eighteenth century.
The most suitable donor stock is from Scotland, where the population has reached at least 150 breeding pairs.
The species thrive in the Western Isles.
Ornithologist Roy Dennis who is supervising the project says the Western Isles is an ideal place to find donor chicks following successful breeding seasons around the islands’ craggy hillsides and sealochs.
New home for ten Western Isles sea eagles
16 June 2021
Roy Dennis with one of the young eagles at Stornoway Airport