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Eagleman Renno spent the whole of today in the shelter near the Eagle Webcamera to clear up the numbers and origins of the eagles visiting the feeding site. The day was successful, and the diary follows below:

 

8:40 – Tiit sets the table for eagles and other winged friends

8:45 – first ravens arrive

8:55 – sun should rise according to meteo information but the sky is cloudy …

9:21 – young white-tailed eagle passes over feeding site but does not settle in perch tree

9:40 – noisy arrival of some ten hooded crows, who settle down in trees near the meat

9:47 – first brave raven starts to eat, which works as green lights for a number of others – all at once some ten crows, twenty ravens and a couple of magpies are at the meat

9:49 – a three-winters white-tailed eagle, or 3W eagle for short, arrives and settles in the top of a dry pine, showing off for the first time today to webcamera viewers all over the world. The bird is an old acquaintance, and has been busy in the feeding place for nearly 4 weeks. It was ringed on June 9, 2006, in Uuusimaa in South Finland, about 100 km. northeast of the feeding site.

10:13 same eagle pursues a raven and tries to grab meat chunk that the raven has in its beak

10:16 eagle returns to the dry treetop

10:19 another young eagle arrives from north circling over the feeding site; this is a second-winter bird, 2W bird.

10:23 the 3W eagle teases raven again, this time successfully – the raven drops the meat, which the eagle catches and gulps down sitting in a tree.

10:25 3W eagle settles again in the dry treetop

10:34 another 2W whitetailed eagle arrives at feeding site (the third bird of the day)

11.01  3W ringed eagle settles in front of camera, on dry pine tree

11:22  3W eagle still sitting in tree, three other eagles fly over feeding-place (so already at least four individual eagles today!)

11:45  4-5-winters bird arrives at feeding-place. On right foot ring from South Finland (white-red), but no year ring on left foot! Eagles with only one ring have not been sighted in Estonia earlier – we will try to find out if there has been a mistake at ringing or if the bird has lost one ring.

11:51 3W bird teases ravens again, unsuccessfully this time

11.55 2W eagle with rings settles in treetop – the eagle was ringed in 2007 in South Finland

11:59  3W eagle sends 2W eagle flying; both settle down in the forest

12:05 all three eagles circle around, then settle back at forest edge

12:20 4W eagle leaves feeding site

12:30 noise from aircraft going down towards Tallinn scatters ravens and eagles

12:53 eagles and ravens return,  2W and 3W birds settle in treetops

12:55 eagles pursue each other; 3W bird seems to keep the others away from the food; the 3W eagle is also the only one to sit in the top of the dry fir, other eagles keep further away. The eagle was on-camera for webcamera viewers for nearly three hours today (sitting there for a total of 157 minutes!)

 

14:07 3W eagle settles again in camera view on the dry fir

14:20 new eagle arrives, 2W bird, ringed in 2007 in Estonia. More precisely in Jõgevamaa, its hatching place is 170 km from the feeding site. Of this winter’s ringed eagles this is the one with the most far-away origin up to now!

14:33 one more new eagle arrives, this time a bird of at least 5 winters (+5W for short), with no foot rings.

14:52 Estonian-ringed 2W eagle leaves towards east

14:58 +5W eagle leaves towards west

14:59 2W eagle ringed in Finland leaves towards west

15:03 3W eagle ringed in Finland leaves towards south