In the second half of April, the small eagles return from their wintering grounds in Africa to Latvia.
Local ornithologists are also getting active – they are installing online cameras near the nests and monitoring the eagles' mating period.
During this time, the male feeds the female with frogs and field mice. The efforts paid off – on April 28, in Aizkule, the female eagle Rasa laid her first egg.
Just a few minutes before laying the egg, the female brought several spruce branches, after which the egg was laid.
The term "small eagles" most often refers to lesser spotted eagles (Clanga pomarina), as this is the most numerous species of eagles in the country. Latvia is one of the key nesting sites for them in Europe: about 20% of the entire European population (around 4,000 pairs) is concentrated here.
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