Echoes of the Eagle
A celebratory event to mark 50-years of successful White-tailed Eagle Conservation across the UK and their iconic return to Wales.
To celebrate the revival of the White-tailed Eagle and its growing conservation story across the UK, we invited Welsh artists to bring this iconic species back to life through the summer of 2025. Together, they created a collection of powerful, imaginative works that captured the spirit and legacy of Eryr y Môr. These pieces were displayed at Kenfig Nature Reserve as part of the ‘Echoes of the Eagle’ Art Exhibition — set within the landscape of Wales’s last known eagle nest.
INSPIRATION
The ‘Echoes of the Eagle’ Art Exhibition was inspired by the rediscovery of an 1816 artwork by William Weston Young, found at Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales in 2023. The illustration portrays the last recorded breeding pair of White-tailed Eagles in Wales, once seen near Kenfig.
It was accompanied by a striking historical note:
“This drawing represents the Eagle taken near Kenfig in February 1816, a pair were seen in the neighborhood for some time, and traps were set for them, at length the female was caught, it remained in the trap for twenty four hours, before it was taken out, the foxes had visited the traps as usual to take what happened to be in them, but did not dare to attack the bird, the male hover’d over and remained near the spot most of the time, and remained some time after about that part of the country but could not be taken by any contrivance, it proved to be the Falco Albicilla or Erne.”
This moment in history forms the foundation of the exhibition, connecting past and present as we explore the story of Wales’ lost sea eagle.
CONTRIBUTION
Kenfig was the last known nest location for Sea Eagles! 👉
The Echoes of the Eagle Art Exhibition brings together the power of art, nature, and community. 🦅✨ In collaboration with Kenfig Nature Reserve and Art of the Fairytale, 13 talented Welsh artists created 19 original masterpieces, each inspired by the return of the White-tailed Eagle to Wales. Every piece tells its own story — of wild coasts, ancient skies, and a species on the cusp of returning home.
This exhibition celebrates not just creativity, but hope, heritage, and the shared vision of bringing this iconic apex predator back to our landscape.
Thank you to every artist, supporter, volunteer, and visitor who made this possible.
Diolch o galon. 🤍
INNOVATION
As part of the celebrations, Year 9 students from Ysgol Bro Gwaun created a beautiful shadow-puppet animation that tells the story and history of White-tailed Eagles in Wales. This animation became a central feature of our ‘Echoes of the Eagle’ Art Exhibition and was used to premiere the celebrations. Echoes of the Eagle was developed by students at Ysgol Bro Gwaun and Smallworld Theatre, with a script written by our Education and Outreach Officer, Krystal King.
Take a moment to explore their imaginative work 👇🦅
Echoes of the Eagle (ENGLISH)
Echoes of the Eagle (WELSH)