HoverOverUs • Short-toed Eagle

New text on Short-toed Eagle on Ugo Mellone’s website

Admin — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:17:16 +0000

• Agostini N., Mellone U., 2008 - Does migration flyway of Short-toed Eagles (Circaetus gallicus) breeding in Central Italy reflect the colonization history? - Journal of Raptor Research, 42(2): 158-159. - (En).

We extend our thanks to Ugo Mellone for pointing the article out. It can be found among other papers on the Publications section of his website.

Biotopes. Southern and Central Belarus

Admin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:33:27 +0000

Contributor: Valery Dombrovski.

Country: Belarus. Region: Southern and central parts.

Hayfields on dried up valley bogs are one of the main hunting biotopes for agricultural lands in Polesie and for some places in Central Belarus. In this case - in the West Berezina River floodplain. Usually there is high number of Natrix natrix and almost full absence of Vipera berus in such places. The forest is very multivarious: has areas of pine, alder, oak, spruce, aspen etc.; some of those areas are very boggy.
Short-toed Eagle density: c. 1.3 pairs/100 km². Open the map.

Nothern part of the Olmany Swamps. This is a complex of raised, intermediate and valley bogs covering about 1000 km² of area. Formerly one of the key places for Short-toed Eagle in Polesie, but their number had dramatically decreased after natural disasters of 2002-2003. There are upland pine-birch forests around the swamps and small pine islands are situated in the central part of them. But Short-toed Eagles prefer larger forestlands for the nesting. Vipera berus dominates among relatively big reptiles, Natrix natrix inhabits only the swamps’ outskirts, Coronella austriaca is few in number.
Short-toed Eagle density: c. 4 pairs/100 km². Open the map.

Overgrowing boggy old agricultural lands inside the Chernobyl 30 Kilometer Zone of Alienation. It is possible to observe up to 6 hunting Short-toed Eagles over one field at the same time. Near forestland is partially slumpy. Tree species: oak, alder, birch, pine, last one is rather rare. Although there are young pine forests in the neighbourhood of other abandoned lands in the Zone and nevertheless Short-toed Eagles are usually observed there.
Short-toed Eagle density: c. 2 pairs/100 km². Open the map.

Slumpy flooding grasslands belong to hunting biotopes prefered by Short-toed Eagles in the Pripyat River floodplane. Pine forests are completely absent, but alder ones dominate. Oak and hornbeam are typical for higher places. Natrix natrix and Anguis fragilis are very numerous, Vipera berus is rarer. This is one of the most abundant landscapes of Belarus with high number of practically all groups of animals.
Short-toed Eagle density: c. 1.7 pairs/100 km². Open the map.

Contribute your materials | Biotopes Map

Christos G. Vlachos’ article of 1994

Admin — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:35:02 +0000

You can find an article of Christos G. Vlachos on the University of New Mexico. University Libraries website. The work was dedicated to Short-toed Eagle ecology in North-Eastern Greece:

• CHRISTOS G. VLACHOS AND NIKOLAOS K. PAPAGEORGIOU, 1994 - Diet, breeding success, and nest-site selection of the Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) in Northeastern Greece - Raptor Res. 28(1): 39-42. - (En).

Viktor Belik’s articles on Short-toed Eagle

Admin — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:26:44 +0000

A few articles of Prof. Viktor Belik (Rostov State Pedagogical University) on distribution, number and ecology of Short-toed Eagles in several different regions (Ru):

• Белик В.П., 1994 - Распространение, численность и экология змееяда в степном Подонье [Distribution, number and ecology of Short-toed Eagle in steppe Podonie] // Кавказ. орнитол. вестник, вып.6.- Ставрополь. - С.26-29. /map/

• Афанасьев В.Т., Белик В.П., 1998 - Змееяд в Сумском Полесье [Short-toed Eagle in Sumy Polesie] // Птицы бассейна Сев. Донца, вып.4-5: Мат-лы 4 и 5 конф. “Изучение и охрана птиц басс. Сев. Донца”. - Харьков. - С.45-46. /map/

• Белик В.П., Ветров В.В., Бабич М.В., Трофименко В.В., 1999 - Змееяд в Волгоградской области [Short-toed Eagle in Volgograd Region] // 3 конф. по хищным птицам Вост. Европы и Сев. Азии: Мат-лы конф., ч.2.- Ставрополь. - С.20-23. /map/

The photos were taken during an expedition of Prof. Belik in summer of 2008 in Volgograd Region.

Question of sensibility

Admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:49:19 +0000

This text opening La Plume du Circaète n° 6 was written by Bernard Joubert and translated to English by Yves Forget. This view of birds studies can be interesting for Short-toed Eagle watchers and researchers in other countries:

For many of us, a bird of prey is much more than a flying machine.
It is first of all an elegant bird of an absolute beauty. It is the being who breathes, who eats, communicates, moves, suffers, reproduces, interacts, fears. In brief, a being on the whole not so remote from us. If we take a good look at it, we are amazed by the subtlety of the strategies which it shows to continue to live in its environment.

If it is almost impossible for the observer who makes the effort to look at him simply, not to develop a certain shape of empathy (sorry Mister Lorenz!), this one can nevertheless keep a certain distance face to face of its subject of observation, a certain objectivity and so develop a speech which we can qualify as scientific.

For some, however, the bird never becomes a close friend. It is never the young-nervous-male-from-the-rocky-valley or just as well the dark-not-so-wild-female. It still remains an animal, a lower being to whom we are entitled to make everything undergo, in defiance of its identity, of its beauty and - who knows? - of its emotionality. And so much the worse for the sublime wanderer transformed in a bum by a piece of plastic.

And so much the worse for the dreamers, the aesthetes and the other visionaries who have an aggravated sensibility.
They are not serious.

But, this sensibility, isn’t it all the essence of our humanity? And doesn’t it not open the doors of the knowledge as wide as that of professed researches where the identity of the bird is corrupted without the shadow of a scruple?

Bernard Joubert

Video by Vladimir Ivanovskiy

Admin — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 11:09:51 +0000

Please view a short clip extracted from a movie taken by Dr. Vladimir Ivanovskiy in 2008 in Vitebsk Region /map/. The subject is Short-toed Eagle feeding chick in nest. The whole video is 27 minutes long in better quality with sound. Download it on the ‘Videos to download’ page.

Photos of Vladimir Ivanovskiy

Admin — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:49:30 +0000

This small gallery is compiled from Vladimir Ivanovskiy’s pictures. The photos were taken in Nothern Belarus /map/. Also here you can see Short-toed Eagle chick in the artificial nest built by Dr. Ivanovskiy for them. He is an author of the special method of the building.

Short-toed Eagles of Le Massif de la Sainte Baume

Admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:16:15 +0000

Please download and read a new article of Richard Frèze:

• Richard Frèze, 2008 - Étude de la population de Circaètes sur le massif de la Sainte-Baume et les collines environnantes - (Fr).

And also enjoy please some pictures from it:

La Plume du Circaète n° 6

Admin — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:31:23 +0000

Current number of the La Plume du Circaète (Fr) can be downloaded now in two variants: of 1.6 MB - or of 5 MB - PDF file. New materials on Short-toed Eagles of France are collected in it. Heartfelt thanks to Renaud Nadal for placing the version with full-sized images on our site.

The list of contents (Fr):

Bilan de la surveillance 2007 2 »

Suivi 2007 2; Synthèse pluriannuelle 2

Observation / Conservation 3 »

Migration en PACA 3; Suivi par balise Argos 4; Nidifi cation aux portes de Marseille 6; Observations en limite d’aire 7; Situation en Loir-et-Cher 7; Les échecs de reproduction 9; 12 ans de suivi dans l’Hérault 10; 15 ans de suivi dans les Cévennes 11; Preuve en photos de la longévité 13; Découvertes récentes 13

Menaces 14 »

Tirs, électrocution et collisions 14

Sensibilisation 15 »

Surprises photographiques 15; Rapaces de France 15; 2nd rencontres Circaètes 16; Rendez-vous ornithologiques 16; Approche artistique 16

Short-toed Eagle near Kiev. August 2008

Admin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:14:07 +0000

This is an adult Short-toed Eagle female. Numerous power lines pylons are situated in its hunting territory. From year to year they are used by both Short-toed Eagles of the pair as a perches for hunt. The birds are not afraid of people much.

These photos were taken at a distance of 8 km from Kiev’s housing estates /map/ on August 24^th (© Konstantin Pismennyi).