One of the lesser eagles tagged with a GPS/GSM transmitters this summer by the BSPB died several days ago in the Konya area, Turkey.
After the data from the transmitter showed that something is wrong with the bird, our colleagues – ornithologists from Turkey – immediately went to the place of the accident. They found the body of the young eagle under an electric pole. Electric poles is identified as one of the most dangerous for the young birds. If it is not uninsulated, the bird could touch simultaneously the insulated parts of the pole and the pressurized conductors. This leads to electrocution, dead of the bird and a power failure. We have informed the local distribution network in order to take necessary measures and to isolate the dangerous line.
© Cansu Özcan/ İbrahim Soner Güzel
The lesser spotted eagle was tagged in August 2021 in his nest in the protected area Western Strandzha by a team from BSPB. GPS/GSM transmitters gather information about its migratory route, resting places, its temporary habitats, dangers and causes of death during the migration. This particular event confirmed one of the main threats to the species – uninsulated power poles which are direct cause of death for the eagles.
This is the fourth case of dead bird from endangered species in Bulgaria only for a week. After the detention of a poacher, caused the death of tens of protected birds and mammals in Razgrad, a poisened Cinereous vulture has been found in the Eastern Rodopi and later on, near Yambol – an Eastern imperial eagle, shot with 16 buckshots. We hope that this black series of destruction of protected species to stop and we appeal to everyone to file signals to RIEW and the police if they find a a bird in distress or if they witness a crime against nature.
We express our gratitude to our colleagues Özcan and İbrahim Soner Güzel for their quick reaction in finding the dead lesser spotted eagle in Turkey.
The GPS-GSM tagging of young lesser spotted eagles is made within the frames of LIFE project Life for Eagle’s Habitats.