Five young sea eagles were equipped with transmitters this year as part of the research and conservation program of the nature conservation organization WWF Austria. While the animals will have to leave their nests in a few weeks, the white-tailed eagle “Orania” has already set a long-distance record. In 2019, “Orania” was hatched and tagged in the Donau-Auen National Park and flew 2,300 kilometers to Russia’s northern Dvina River between January and May.
“Never before have we been able to capture such a long journey by a white-tailed eagle from Austria. She has doubled the previous record. Orania seems committed to a peacekeeping mission,” Christian Pichler, a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) sea eagle expert, said in a broadcast on Thursday.
Once thought it was extinct
In 2000, the local heraldic animal was still considered extinct, today about 45 breeding pairs of sea eagles live in Austria, so for the WWF it is a success story of local conservation. “Oranias’ journey across borders underlines the importance of transnational conservation measures. They are the cornerstone for the return of this previously extinct species,” explains Pichler. Particularly in Austria, Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria and Upper Austria, these eagles again habitat.
The eagles would find important feeding, breeding and resting areas in the Waldviertel, Donau-Auen National Park, in the March-Thaya-Auen or areas of Pannatura, an Esterhazy company.
Transmitter cuts out automatically
Tagging the young eagles provides important information about their flight paths and habitats after leaving their parent’s territory. They usually return there after four to five years to reproduce. “On the basis of the transmitter data, we can continuously optimize international cooperation in the protection of sea eagles,” explains the eagle expert. The feather-light GPS-GMS data carriers have no influence on the movements of the eagles and fall off on their own after a few years.
Rings from the Austrian Ornithological Institute attached to the legs also allow the animals to be identified throughout their lives.
Constant threats to eagles
Despite the slow-growing but stable population, the survival of the white-tailed eagle in Austria is not yet assured. Illegal prosecution by shelling and poisoning, as well as collisions with vehicles, power lines or wind turbines are constant and major threats to the eagle. “By using the transmitter, deaths can be detected quickly. Criminal offenses can be better clarified and the infrastructure along the flight corridors can be planned accordingly,” explains the WWF expert.
“Protective measures in Austria and our neighboring countries must be continued consistently if we are to successfully continue to write the return of the bald eagle as a chapter in the history of conservation,” Pichler issued an appeal. The Bald Eagle Monitoring 2022-2024 is funded by the Biodiversity Fund of the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
