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Greater Spotted Eagle chick Tõnn in the nest before tagging

In the beginning of August, two young spotted eagles were given backpacks. One of them was from Tartu County (southern Estonia), and the chick was the product of a Greater- and Lesser- Spotted Eagle mixed marriage. Unfortunately, the bird died in an accident with electric lines just a few weeks after he learned to fly.
The second chick to get a backpack was from Läänemaa County (western Estonia) and was given the name Tõnn (pictured above). Tõnn began his first fall migration on the 25th of September and has now made it to Germany. Tõnn has drawn significant attention from bird watchers in Germany, as not many Greater Spotted Eagles have been observed there before.


Click to enlarge

On the morning of October 14th, Tõnn stopped on a forested slope near Scharfenstein Castle of which we found this picture. In the background should be the forest where Tõnn rested.

Photo: Thuarek, photographed from the south.

A DNA sample was taken from Tõnn. After tests we'll be able to tell you if he's a pure Greater Spotted Eagle or if among his ancestors were Lesser Spotted Eagles.