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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.

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

Please download and read a new article of Richard Frèze on Short-toed Eagle in Provence /map/:

• Richard Frèze, 2008 – Étude de la population de Circaètes sur le massif de la Sainte-Baume et les collines environnantes [Study of Short-toed Eagle population on the Massif de la Sainte-Baume and the surrounding hills] – (Fr) {rough translation}.

And also enjoy please some pictures from it:

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

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

This is the third time we bring to your attention GREFA and their successes in breeding and following release of Short-toed Eagles.

The second thing is an appearance of the Observado.org website as a global version of Waarneming.nl we told about before. Please take a look at the ‘About this species’ right column menu there.

This text about nesting Short-toed Eagles in the environs of Marseille as an example of the species adaptation to urbanization is offered by Richard Frèze:

• Richard Frèze, 2008 – Un Circaète aux portes de Marseille [Short-toed Eagle near Marseille] (Fr). Also you have a possibility to open a PDF {rough translation} of the article, to view /map//map/ and photos.

The Bibliography section on Sunbird.it – website of Guido Premuda – is refreshed with one more article on migration of Short-toed Eagle:

• BAGHINO L. & PREMUDA G., 2007 – Nuovi dati sulla migrazione primaverile “a circuito” del biancone Circaetus gallicus in Italia [New data on the “circuitous” spring migration of the Short-toed Eagle in Italy] // Avocetta, 31: 70-72. – (It). Also:

• LUCIANO RUGGIERI, GUIDO PREMUDA, LUCA BAGHINO, LUCA GIRAUDO, 2006 – Esperienza di monitoraggio su vasta scala della migrazione autunnale del Biancone Circaetus gallicus in Italia e nel Mediterraneo centrale // Avocetta, 30: 76-80. – mentioned before, is available there.