Circaetus gallicus information navigator

Örs the satellite-tagged Short-toed Eagle, marked as a juvenile in 2017, has returned to Hungary after two years. He hatched in the area of the Kiskunság National Park /map/ being famous for hosting the only known nesting population in the Hungarian lowlands. He spent the past winter in the Sahel Zone on the border of Sudan and South Sudan, a regular wintering area for the species. On the last day of March, he packed up and started his northbound migration, however, he stopped in Central Turkey and we were worried that he would spend the entire summer there again, after the summer of 2018. Fortunately, he decided to move on on June 24 and to our delight, he reached the border between Croatia and Hungary a bit more than a week later. Since then, he paid a visit to Burgenland, Austria and Western Slovakia where he stopped at military bases, which were probably familiar for him since he was born in one of those in Hungary. Recently, he has been in Northwestern Hungary, an area where observations of this species are quite rare.

We hope eventually he will visit his home ground and may also mark a few, so far unknown, territories in the Kiskunság area.

Gábor Papp

The map of Örs’ tracks is available on SATELLITETRACKING.EU.

Askar Isabekov has merged data from different birdwatching websites on the Birds of Northern Eurasia portal. This database allows to monitor appearing new pictures and observations of various bird species in several countries of Northern Eurasia, including Short-toed Eagles. At least 3 out of currently 12 regional sites were mentioned on HoverOverUs before.

The live broadcast from a nest of the same pair of Short-toed Eagles living in the Judean Foothills /map/ has been renewed by Guilad Friedemann and the team again. This is the fourth breeding season of the pair we can watch in real time on the Israeli Birding Portal, and the fifth one if you include the live stream in 2015. The history of the current project and all video footages of Short-toed Eagles and other birds of prey available since 2016 can be found on the Israel Raptor Nest Cam Facebook page.

Please note: when the broadcast is unavailable just reload the page or revisit it a bit later.

The annual review of Short-toed Eagle monitoring in Cévennes National Park /map/ and Lozère contains the latest data and unique observations:

• Jean-Pierre et Isabelle MALAFOSSE, 2018 – Le Circaète Jean-le-Blanc, résultats pour 2018. Suivi des Rapaces forestiers en Lozère et dans le Parc National des Cévennes [Short-toed Eagle, results for 2018. Monitoring of Raptors in Lozère and in the Cévennes National Park], rapport interne C.R.B.P.O./ P.N.C.: 12 p. – (Fr), (En) {rough translation}.

Many thanks to the authors and translators (Ferenc and Gábor Papp)!

Please look through the series of photos of Short-toed Eagles taken by Bernard Joubert in Haute-Loire /map/ in the past few years, showing the impressive variability of their appearance:

This video footage was taken by Vince Schwartz. It presents the Short-toed Eagle pair nesting in the Visegrád Hills /map/ as well as the hunting of the male of an immature pair settled in the neighbouring Pilis Hills /map/ in 2018.

Please, read the more detailed explanation by the author:

• Vince SCHWARTZ, 2018 – Nesting of Short-toed Eagles in the Visegrád Hills in 2015-2018 // short-toed-eagle.net (En).

Many thanks to Gábor Papp for his kind help in preparing this post!

The total scale of collected data in the journal of the ST Eagle national monitoring program in France is amazing and deserves special attention (Fr):

• Cahier de la surveillance 2017. Circaète Jean-le-Blanc Circaetus gallicus [Journal of the Short-toed Eagle monitoring in 2017] // short-toed-eagle.net.

Thanks a lot to Renaud Nadal for sharing that remarkable review!