VIDEO: Nest has to be fought for

Video recorded by Urmas Lett, www.eenet.ee
Translation Liis
 
 
White-tailed eagle     Merikotkas       Haliaeetus albicilla     
 
To start with some information: beginning from February 15th it is prohibited to move in the nesting area of white-tailed eagles without special permission according to the Nature Conservation Act.
 
The quite long “film”  shows the fending off of the younger nest occupants  for five minutes. An attentive watcher notes the differences in exterior and the leg rings. Such battles are not without risks for both parts. The male birds weigh less, around 5 kilos, which shows. Fully grown females may even be over 6 kilos and considering the needle-sharp talons and strong beak of eagles the internal reckonings can have a quite sad ending.
 
After the fight the nest owners, with lighter plumages, carefully observe the surroundings, checking that the intruders took the warning attack seriously. Of course the eagle pair cannot setttle down after such an incident and after the attack they have spent much more time in the nest.
 
The adult birds are very businesslike in their doings in the nest. Mainly the female works on the nest bottom. The male tries to assist and otherwise demonstrate his usefulness, rather unsuccessfully though.
 
For more than half a year they have not had a nest life;  the limited nest space seems strange to start with for the eagles, used to open spaces (we have noticed that in previous years, watching the webcams). But soon they will adapt to each other and to  the partner’s size in the limited space…
 
White-tailed eagle observations: LINK


 

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