Couple of monitored Eastern imperial eagles rearing chicklets

Ornithologist Rinur Bekmansurov continues his monitoring project launched in March 2021.

“Like last year, the live stream is broadcast from the same nest. The birds had laid three eggs, and all three hatched in late May,” says the scientist, Head of the Laboratory of Bird Monitoring and Protection at KFU’s Yelabuga Institute.

However, because of inclement weather, including two days of heavy showers in June, the weakest of the hatchlings died. Luckily, the two remaining little eagles are well fed and healthy, so there is no doubt they will survive.

The stream seems to become more and more popular, attracting hundreds of spectators on YouTube every day.

Bekmansurov notes, “We have a diary of activities – we follow when the parents fly away and get back, how many meals they bring, and when the feeding occurs.” He plans to install cameras in other nests; this year, there have been two attempts, but to no avail yet. One nest is still empty, and the other is out of the network coverage zone.

“Before that, we knew quite little about the eagles’ nest life,” comments the interviewee. “Such observations show their lives in their entirety. We can see that sometimes eagles even resemble people in their behavior. It’s very important for conservation – we want people to feel attachment to the birds and care for them. There can be conflicts between these predators and humans, but it’s important not to hurt them.”

The project is funded by Tatneft, a local petroleum powerhouse, and utilizes equipment of the Lower Kama National Park in Tatarstan.