An interview about HoverOverUs • Short-toed-Eagle and about the research and conservation of Short-toed Eagles has recently been given by me and been published on the Interviews section of the European Raptors website. This site is a relatively new project developed by Markus Jais and dedicated to the biology and conservation of European Raptors.
Some data on spring arrival of Short-toed Eagles to Ukraine is available now on the map. The first dates are: 28th and 29th (in display flight) of March – observations of Sergey Domashevsky in Mezhrechenskiy Regional Landscape Park /map/ (Chernigov Region); 4th of April – observations of Konstantin Pismennyi (Kiev Region /map/, in display flight), Maxim Gavrilyuk and Nikolay Borisenko (Cherkassy Region). Also you can see the comparative data of the records in Bulgaria – observations of Dimitar Ragyov near Plovdiv.
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.
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These photos were taken at a distance of 8 km from Kiev’s housing estates /map/ on August 24th (© Konstantin Pismennyi).
These photos of Short-toed Eagle chick (© Konstantin Pismennyi) were made on a territory of Mezhrechenskiy Regional Landscape Park /map/. The chick was 6-7 weeks old. The whole population of Short-toed Eagles is estimated now as about 10 territorial pairs.
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You can read more about birds of prey of Mezhrechenskiy Park on a website of Ukrainian Birds of Prey Research Centre. The information is prepared by Sergey Domashevsky there.
The zone has principally horizontal landscape. Large mainly pine man-made forests with oaks, birches and other leafy trees. Many not big rivers and wetlands. Big pieces of water, such as the Dnieper River with the Kiev Reservoir and some of the Dnieper’s tributaries: the Desna and the Pripyat Rivers. Rivers floodplanes are traditionally used as pastures for cows mainly and as grasslands.
Species of the potential prey: Natrix natrix – the most numerous, apparently is staple food of Short-toed Eagle, also sporadical Vipera berus and extremely rare Coronella austriaca; some species of lizards: Anguis fragilis – common, Lacerta agilis – the most numerous.
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Typical breeding territories: old thin dry parts of pine forests. Nests on pines, usually near the tops, sometimes in “witch’s broom”. There are a lot of cutover areas inside the forestlands. A range of known the nest situation heights: 13-33 m.
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Typical hunting territories: large open areas situated close to various pieces of water, such as floodplanes of big and small rivers, grounds nearby marshes and drain channels – usual inhabitations of Grass Snake and lizards.
