As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Monday 30 September 2013

Spotted eagles tracked from Germany on migration to Africa

In order not to disclose the exact breeding sites of rare eagles in Germany, the routes on the map are only shown from the Polish border. Courtesy of NABU

Spotted eagles fitetd with satellite transmitters

September 2013. Twelve Spotted eagles, fitted with GPS transmitters in Germany, are being tracked on their migration to Africa.

Only about 100 pairs of rare Spotted eagles breed in Germany, and this number is declining every year. For years Germany's Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) has been fighting to save the last habitats of this elusive bird of prey; buying the land where they breed and protecting its feeding areas. Nevertheless they are threatened whilst on migration, particularly by hunters, and many young birds die before they mature and return to their German breeding grounds.


To investigate the migratory behaviour, the 30 gram backpack transmitters were mounted on the back of the spotted eagles; they report regularly the exact position, altitude and speed of the eagles.





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