2017

It is the Time to Ring the Young Eagles

All those who have watched the lesser spotted eagle couple in the cameras set up by the experts of the JSC "Latvia's State Forests" (LVM) have already noticed that the little bird has not only acquired new, gorgeous feathers, but also got new adornments - two rings.

Every year, LVM Senior Environmental Expert Uģis Bergmanis performs lesser spotted eagle monitoring and bands the birds with rings. The banding of young eagles takes place at the end of July, while the banding of adult birds will only begin in early August, when grasslands are cut and crops are thrashed out.

"Upon carrying out the lesser spotted eagle monitoring and checking the nest population in the plots, the young eagle Frīdis got two rings - a Latvian ring was placed on its right leg, and an orange ring with black symbols, which would help to recognise the bird from a distance, was put on its left leg," tells Uģis Bergmanis.

The development of a lesser spotted eagle is a special occurrence that does not happen so often. For example, last year an eagle couple could be observed in the cameras installed by LVM, however, the nesting turned out to be unsuccessful. "It is a great luck that this year there is a baby bird in the nest that can be observed on-line, since many nests are empty and are simply decorated with fresh branches," says Uģis Bergmanis.

Six species of eagles nest in Latvia: lesser spotted eagle, spotted eagle, which is a very rare species, golden eagle, sea eagle, osprey and serpent eagle. The lesser spotted eagle is the most commonly spotted species of all those above mentioned that nest in mature mixed or deciduous forests.

LVM expert Uģis Bergmanis has been engaged in studies with lesser spotted eagles already for several decades. Monitoring is a biological data acquisition system consisting of two important elements: a common methodology and a lengthy period when the bird observation is carried out. It helps to obtain information on important indicators: eagle's life expectancy, migration routes, wintering areas, as well as the size of the nesting area and the origin of nesting eagles.