2020

Lack of Food Poses a Challenge to Birds of Prey

Nature has its own laws, and online cameras set up at five bird nests in a marsh managed by JSC “Latvia’s State Forests” (LVM) within the educational project “Birds and Animals in Marsh” allow us to get to know and approach nature from another point of view, providing an opportunity to observe, study and understand the regularities of all these processes. This year, baby birds have arrived in four out of the five nests equipped with cameras. In the golden eagles’ nest, where only the female bird was taking care of the little eagle during the last week, the lack of feed in the area, which had already been hunted by the birds was the cause of the baby bird`s death. Human intervention in rescuing the eagle and returning it to the wild after rehabilitation in an area with insufficient feed resources, would not have been justified.

The male golden eagle Virsis, who is the main supplier of feed, has not been seen in the nest since 23 June. He may have died. One mature bird is unable to feed a baby. Female Spilve, whose main task is to protect the young eagle in the nest, was unable to provide enough food for herself and the baby, because the immediate vicinity of the nest had already been hunted empty by other birds. Lack of feed is the reason for the death of the young eagle, and it is a natural phenomenon in the life of birds and animals.

“The baby bird Klints did not survive a week without sufficient amount of feed. When female Spilve brought a piece of meat, the little eagle was already exhausted and it was clear that he would not survive till the morning. Now female Spilve has to think about her own survival, hunt in places where feed is available, gather strength for the next nesting season. Spilve has to wait for the return of the male Virsis or wait for a new male. My observations show that golden eagles start to build a nest for the next year already in August. But only time will show if the eagles choose this nest again,” says Uģis Bergmanis, LVM Senior Environmental Expert.

Intervention is not an answer

The LVM expert explains that removing the baby eagle from the nest would not have been a solution. Such an activity would also require a permit, that would take time and would not be justified. “We were waiting for the return of the male eagle every day. Knowing that female Spilve is near the nest, removing the baby eagle from the nest would signal that we are destroying it. Such an action could provoke her to leave the nest. If the young eagle were removed from the nest at night, it would have to be bred in captivity and released into the wild in late July. However, in August and September, young eagles are still fed by adult birds, no longer in nests, but in wider areas. If there is not enough feed in the particular mire this year, the young eagle would not survive anyway,” explains Uģis Bergmanis.  

The expert goes on to explain that most young birds of prey die mainly in the first year of life. Golden eagles are no exception. In his research practice, he knows two cases in which his ringed golden eagles were later found dead under their nests. “I remember a similar case with a baby eagle when I found a dead adult male lesser spotted eagle near the nest on 5 July 2000 (the male was identified from the ring; it had been previously caught in the nesting area and ringed). At that time, the month-old young eagle was in the nest and did not survive either,” tells the project manager.

Progress of golden eagles nesting in Latvia

All-in-all, this year is relatively successful for golden eagles - including the above-mentioned nest, which is equipped with an online camera, six nests have baby eagles, two of them even have two young eagles! Two young eagles in one nest are observed in 8.3% of successful nesting cases in Latvia, but it happens very rarely.

“While this is a sad event, let us rejoice in what we have: a strong baby eagle grows in the nest of lesser spotted eagles in Aizkuja. In the nest of the common buzzards in Aizkuja, one buzzard has already flown out of the nest. The youngest buzzard is still staying in the nest, his sick eye has healed completely. We are also waiting for Spilve and the other eagle to return,” says Uģis Bergmanis.

Within the framework of the LVM environmental education and research project “Birds and Animals in Marsh”, everyone has an opportunity to watch on-line the changes taking place in nature and follow the bird and animal activity in one of the marshes in the north-eastern region of Latvia.