24 • 04 • 2020
Closer to Birds with Five On-line Cameras!
While waiting for birds to return from the warmer lands, JSC “Latvia’s State Forests” (LVM) offers an opportunity to watch on-line the events taking place in the nests of lesser spotted eagles and golden eagles. The novelty of this season is a live broadcast from a common buzzards’ nest. Thanks to the five on-line cameras, those interested can now get closer to nature and witness events in bird life that are usually not so easy to see.
Lesser spotted eagles have returned to Aizkuja
Currently, lesser spotted eagles are actively arriving at their nesting sites. Lesser spotted eagles that have flown about 11 000 kilometres from their wintering grounds in Africa, are now actively rutting, mating and building nests. Lesser spotted eagles – male Roznieks and female Rasa – have also arrived in their Aizkuja nest, where an LVM video surveillance camera has been set up.
In early morning and forenoon, both eagles are busy improving the nest used for nesting in previous years, decorating it with fresh spruce branches.
After the long and difficult journey from Africa, the lesser spotted eagles are hungry – in spring they feed mainly on spawning frogs, which are active and easily accessible on warm days.
New this year – a nest of common buzzards
This year, Uģis Bergmanis, the coordinator of the project “Birds and Animals in Marsh” (Putni un zvēri purvā) and LVM Senior Environmental Expert, in cooperation with his IT colleagues, has set up another video surveillance camera in the swamp, allowing everyone interested to watch on-line buzzards that are already breeding. There are three eggs in the nest.
The common buzzard is the most common species of birds of prey in Latvia that nest in forests.
We are expecting babies in the golden eagles’ nest
The camera, placed in the golden eagles’ nest, allows nature lovers from all over the world to follow the hatching of eagles on-line. Such live broadcasting – successful nesting of golden eagles – is currently the only one in Europe. There are two eggs in the nest, and the babies are expected to start hatching around 8-12 May.
“This live broadcast is unique, because we are seeing a breeding golden eagle live in Latvia for the very first time. We have been waiting for four years and only this year we finally can see two eggs in the nest. This is a big event. It is not so easy to access these solitary birds, because they lead a closed way of life, nest in distant swamps, away from human beings. Golden eagles are very difficult to spot, and even more difficult to watch the hatching of eggs from such a close distance. Such observation allows us to learn a lot about the behaviour of golden eagles,” tells Uģis Bergmanis, LVM Senior Environmental Expert.
In spring, when the sun is shining more and more, LVM environmental experts supporting the #stayathome initiative offer an opportunity to go to nature with the help of five on-line cameras. Anyone interested, without leaving their home, can now follow on-line the nesting success of the golden eagles and common buzzards, watch the events taking place in two nests of lesser spotted eagles in Betiņsala and Aizkuja, as well as enjoy unique moments and sounds that can only be heard in a swamp.
Both rare bird and other animal species, as well as their habitats and biotopes are protected in the areas managed by LVM. Forestry works are limited or terminated in the places of nesting of protected birds such as the black stork, all eagles nesting in Latvia, etc., and micro-reserves and territories for the protection of habitats are created to make sure that the rare species are adequately protected. In order to preserve specially protected forest habitats and protected animal and plant species, micro-reserves are established, and their area is increasing year by year.
