Greater Spotted Eagle

Good news from Belarus: Greater Spotted Eagle was named Bird of the Year 2019.

Belarus remains the main European territory for the species. With the estimated population of 120-160 pairs it is the biggest, after Russian, in the entire world. Unfortunately ongoing environmental changes and following hybridisation make the future of the species uncertain. That makes the conservation of the species in the country vital issue.

The APB-Birdlife Belarus is among organisations that perform many efforts in order to secure the Belarussian population and this is thanks to their initiative that Greater Spotted Eagle was named Bird of the Year there.

More information can be found on the APB-Birdlife Belarus page (in Belarussian).

Here is the map of 8 Belarussian Greater Spotted Eagles fitted with transmitters.

Tõnn seems to be the most famous inhabitant of Estonia and definitely the most famous Greater Spotted Eagle of the world. Born in 2008, as a juvenile bird he was fitted with a satellite transmitter and since then has become a celebrity. Without leaving Europe until winter 2010 he already visited 15 countries becoming popular among birdwatchers searching for "the eagle with the antenna". In 2016 the transmitter was replaced with a logger. Without an antenna.

The 2016 breeding season has ended. It was yet another extremely dry year on Biebrza which had its consequences for all species of the Spotted Eagles. The lack of water here means basically lack of food. Biebrza resembled a desert, at least compared to what tis territory used to be in the past. Thousands of water birds, usually attracted by the vast flooded areas, abandoned this place due to lack of suitable habitats.

Yet another dry year on Biebrza. Katastrophy for the nature. Paradise for those who dug all the ditches - finally the marshes can be accessed by tractors dropping tons of fertilizers. The fertilizing producers are content as well. So who actually cares about the nature? Nobody. Nature itself has to adapt. Get used to tractors, fertilizers, corns. Which does not mean the naature has the right to eat corn. Oh no! For eating corn within the Park the death sentence is the reward - so the shooting of the Wild Boars continues. This is the sad reality within the Biebrza Valley.

It is summer. And sun, sun and sun on Biebrza. Although the air is still chilly and the temperature at night falls to 6 degrees. Dream weather for raptor watchers - ideally clear sky, the wind, upstreams, visibility and warmth that allows even females leave their growing offsprings on the nest and stretch the wings. In some places it is hard to follow the individuals crossing the sky. And one more thing - haymaking has begun. And on top of it all - numerous last year' juvenile birds decided to visit Biebrza.