Circaetus gallicus information navigator

After the first reports of the breeding of Short-toed Eagle in Switzerland, the successful attempt was observed in Central Valais /map/ in 2017:

• Raphaël ARLETTAZ, Stéphane METTAZ & Klaus AGTEN, 2018 – Première nidification réussie du Circaète Jean-le-Blanc Circaetus gallicus en Suisse romande [The first successful nesting of Short-toed Eagle in Romandy] // Nos Oiseaux 65/3, N° 533: pp. 175-179. – (Fr).

The article is available on the University of Bern website.

Henry de Lestanville describes in his paper staying of 2 Short-toed Eagles at Brassoir in summer 2016 and the current status of the species in Picardy /map/:

• Henry DE LESTANVILLE, 2018 – Stationnement de deux Circaètes Jean-le-blanc Circaetus gallicus à Brassoir en 2016 [Staying of two Short-toed Eagles at Brassoir in 2016] // Avocette, 42 (1) – Revue naturaliste de Picardie Nature: pp. 3-8. – (Fr).

An impressive number of ST Eagles migrating at Sarimazi, Southern Turkey /map/, in autumn 2018 is reported on the Egyptian Vulture New LIFE site: 10853. This raises a lot of questions about real strength of their streams from Eastern Europe. Many thanks to Gábor Papp for sharing!

Several records of Short-toed Snake Eagle at the boundaries of the species range were reported this summer. Local birders informed about observation of an eagle again in the United Kingdom, at Ashdown Forest /map/ in East Sussex: it was seen several times since June 21^st. Unfortunately, the age of that bird has remained unknown. Four years earlier, a young Short-toed Eagle had been observed at Morden Bog /map/, near Wareham.

At the opposite side of the range’s northern boundary, not far from Barnaul /map/, the administrative centre of the Altai Krai, a Short-toed Eagle was recorded this year too. Photos of it are available on the Birds of Siberia website. This time it was an adult bird, as well as the previous one observed in 2016. Also, this summer has brought many encounters with ST Eagles to birders in Kazakhstan, just enjoy the pictures.

The next recently published article is dedicated to tracking a breeding attempt of Short-toed Eagles in the Canton of Ticino /map/:

• Filippo RAMPAZZI, Luca PAGANO, 2017 – La nidificazione del biancone Circaetus gallicus nel Cantone Ticino (Svizzera) [Nesting of Short-toed Eagle in the Canton of Ticino (Switzerland)] // Bollettino della Società ticinese di scienze naturali, 105: 77-85. – (It) {rough translation}.

The record of successful breeding after the long absence of such data for central southern Switzerland can be considered as an evidence of Short-toed Eagle spread in Switzerland and northern Italy in recent years.

Our sincere thanks to Luca Pagano for kind sharing the paper!

One more collection of amazing moments of Short-toed Eagles’ nesting life in Croatia are brought to your attention. Please, note: both mates of that pair are coloured very typically for their sexes. This excellent gallery of pictures and videos taken by a nature photographer Ante Karanušić can be viewed on his site.

We are continuing to collect various texts about Short-toed Eagle records and observations in various regions. Along records in modern online databases, they give the fuller patern of the species distribution and its evolution within recent decades:

The article by Lionel Maumary and others contains the detailed description of the first ST Eagle breeding in Switzerland /map/ in 2012, observations of the breeding biology and the diet data particularly:

• Lionel MAUMARY, Hubert DUPERREX, Jacques CLOUTIER, Laurent VALLOTTON, 2013 – Première nidification du Circaète Jean-le-Blanc (Circaetus gallicus) en Suisse – Observations sur la biologie de reproduction, en particulier le régime alimentaire [The first nesting of Short-toed Snake Eagle in Switzerland – Observations of the reproductive biology, and the diet] // Nos Oiseaux, 60: pp. 3-24. (Fr) {rough translation}.