23 • 05 • 2017
Insight into the Menu of Lesser Spotted Eagles
Babies of the lesser spotted eagle couple, called the Betiņi, are expected to hatch very soon, around 10-11 June. Already since March, all interested have an opportunity to follow the activities of the eagles on-line, watching the arrival of the lesser spotted eagles in the nest, as well as welcoming the first egg that was laid despite the cold weather. Successful nesting highly depends on sufficient food resources, so let's have a look into the menu of lesser spotted eagles.
Lesser spotted eagles Betiņa and Betiņš
Uģis Bergmanis, LVM Senior Environmental Expert, says that prior to egg laying and in the first days of hatching, food was brought to the nest quite rarely, which raised concerns about the success of nesting. This spring is generally very dry, therefore the amount of frogs, the most important feed of lesser spotted eagles, may not be sufficient for successful nesting.
"Moor frogs that are brought to the nest in significant quantities are the best hope for successful nesting of the Betiņsala lesser spotted eagle couple," says Uģis Bergmanis.
Moor frogs, unlike other frog species, live in forests. They may be spotted in ditches and flooded forest glades. In turn, common voles, which are also an important part of the menu of lesser spotted eagles are brought to the nest relatively rarely. This can be explained by the fact that the meadows surrounding the forest where the nest is made, are ploughed up and are extensively used in agriculture, therefore common voles can rarely be found there.
We would like to urge the spectators of the live broadcast to follow the nesting success of the lesser spotted eagles and try to count how many moor frogs are "served" to the eagle mother daily.
Within the framework of JSC "Latvia's State Forests" environmental education and research projects "Birds and Animals in Marsh" and "Lesser Spotted Eagles", nature enthusiasts also have an opportunity to keep track of the activities in the golden eagle nest and watch changes in nature in a swamp in the north-eastern part of Latvia.
