White-tailed Sea eagle - The survivor
The white-tailed Sea eagle is the biggest nesting bird in Finland with the 2.4 metres wingspan. Predator hatred and environmental toxics almost decimated the eagle population from our country.
The population of the white-tailed Sea eagle was in severe danger especially during the 1970s. The eggshells were then so fragile that they unravelled while the dams were fomenting. The cause was the large amounts of DDT- and PCB-compound remnants in the nutriment, fish and birds. During the worst years, none of the young birds were hatched alive. Sea eagles were also haunted and poached.
White-tailed Sea eagles were saved by volunteers
In the year 2007, the young birds were hatched 245. Even though the immediate threat to the population is now over, the white-tailed Sea eagle is still categorized as vulnerable in IUCN threat categories and is protected.
The population of the sea eagle was saved by the long term volunteer work of the WWFs Sea Eagle team. The eagles were fed in the winter with carcasses and conservation areas were founded. One of the major factors in the recovering was the forbidding of DDT and PCB compounds.
White-tailed Sea eagles are very fearful birds and they do not endure distractions near the nesting area. Nowadays, the forestry and ever-growing tourism cause the biggest damages to the sea eagles.
Interesting new phenomenon is that the sea eagles have preyed on cormorants. One possibility is that the white-tailed sea eagle is going to be the natural limiting factor of the population of the cormorants in the future.
More information:
