New song: Return of the White-Tailed Eagle • RSPB
A new single by Alice Boyd, created in collaboration with the RSPB
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, YouTube and more
To mark the 50th anniversary of the successful reintroduction of the white-tailed eagle to the UK, musician and sound artist Alice Boyd has released a new single in collaboration with the RSPB. Return of the White-Tailed Eagle blends ambient field recordings captured at RSPB Pulborough Brooks with layered vocal harmonies and textured instrumentation, evoking the quiet anticipation and awe that surrounds an encounter with these majestic birds.
The white-tailed eagle - once driven to extinction in the UK due to persecution and habitat loss - has made a remarkable comeback over the last five decades, thanks to the long-term efforts of conservationists, volunteers and communities. During the creation of the track, Alice spent a day recording at RSPB Pulborough Brooks in hopes of capturing the eagle’s call. While the bird remained silent, the experience itself - hours spent listening, waiting and attuning to the landscape - became central to the piece’s atmosphere.
“By working with a brilliant musician like Alice and asking her to create an original song for the film, we gained a whole new perspective on nature and on the vital role that art must play in conservation.”
The single accompanies Return, a short film by the RSPB celebrating this conservation milestone. The film features voices including Alice Boyd, RSPB Scotland’s Dave Sexton and Flock Together’s Nadeem Perera, and combines archival footage with striking present-day scenes from the eagles’ Scottish strongholds.
The project continues Alice’s exploration of our changing soundscapes, following her Radio 4 documentary Shifting Soundscapes, which retraced audio recordings made by naturalist Martyn Stewart 50 years ago. While that work often revealed loss - quieter dawn choruses, increased noise pollution - the story of the white-tailed eagle offers something rarer: hope. A reminder that with care and collaboration, lost voices can return.
Press
“‘Return of the White-Tailed Eagle’ is a hopeful, atmospheric celebration of nature’s resilience, fusing art with ecological storytelling.”
“Boyd’s love and admiration for the white-tailed eagle shine through, woven with surprising harmonies.”
“There’s something quietly powerful about listening to a song that doesn’t just entertain but helps tell the story of something real, something wild, something bigger than us.”
“Alice treats the natural world as the main character, not as a backdrop for human drama.”
“A beautiful example of using the power of music in tandem with nature... Peak bird-watch core and an immersive and soothing listen, too.”