Lesser Spotted Eagle chick in the nest .
© Zeitz Róbert

I am happy to announce another interview, this time with Daróczi J. Szilárd and Zeitz Róbert about the Lesser Spotted Eagle in Romania.
The Lesser Spotted Eagle has it’s breeding population entirely in Europe (while migrating to Africa). The Indian species, Aquila hastata is no longer consider to be a subspecies but a full species on it’s own, the Indian Spotted Eagle.

Because of this, Europe has a great responsibility protecting the species. And Romania has more breeding pairs than most countries and plays an important role in the future of the species.

In this new interview, Daróczi J. Szilárd and Zeitz Róbert talk about the current situation of the Lesser Spotted Eagle in Romania, threats, necessary conservation measures and a LIFE projects they are working on.

You an also learn about what food the eagles eat or what is known about the movement of the birds.

See the interview here:
New Interview with Daróczi J. Szilárd and Zeitz Róbert about the Lesser Spotted Eagle in Romania

Interview with Vitaly Vetrov about the Eastern Imperial Eagle in Ukraine

In this interview Vitaly Vetrov talks about the current situation, population development, threats and future of the Eastern Imperial Eagle in the Ukraine and also gives a short overview about the status of the Steppe Eagle.

The interview is also available in Russian.

Eastern Imperial Eagle.
© Svetoslav Spasov

The Eastern Imperial Eagle is a globally threatened species with only a few hundred pairs breeding in Europe. A lot of conservation work is done for the species in countries like Hungary, Slovakia or Ukraine.
In Bulgaria the Bulgarian Society for the Potection of Birds (BSPB) and other organisations have been working for many years to protect the small Bulgarian population.

In a new interview, Dimitar Demerdjiev from the (BSPB) talks about biology and conservation of the Eastern Imperial Eagle in Bulgaria. Dimitar explains the food and habitat requirements, threats like cultivation of habitat, wind farms, reduction of prey species, what the BSPS is doing and much more.

The interview can be found here:

Interview with Dimitar Demerdjiev about the Eastern Imperial Eagle in Bulgaria

Also make sure to visit the following website of the BSPB about Eastern Imperial Eagles and Saker Falcons in Bulgaria:
Conservation of Imperial Eagle and Saker Faclon in Bulgaria

Information about how to support the BSPB can be found on their website (their is an icon for an English version of the website in the top right corner).
http://bspb.org/index.php

More interviews about the Eastern Imperial eagle can be found on the species account on europeanraptors.org (scroll down a bit):
Eastern Imperial Eagle species account

The aclimatization aviary in Kresna Gorge.
© Hristo Peshev

Vultures are an important indicator of a healthy ecosystem. In Europe, vultures today are endangered or extinct in most countries. A lot of conservation work is going on to, protect, restore and increase populations.

In this new interview, Emilian Stoynov from the Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna (FWFF) talks about the situation of Griffon Vultures in Bulgaria, what threats they face and what is done for their conservation.
Part of the conservation work is a reintroduction program which is explained in detail in the interview.

To read the interview, click here:

Interview with Emilian Stoynov about the Eurasian Griffon Vulture in Bulgaria

Please consider making a donation to the FWFF to support their conservation work. More information about their work and how you can support FWFF can be found here:
Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna (FWFF)

Sean with Common Buzzard
© Peter Bell

The Common Buzzard is a widespread and often common raptor across most parts of Europe. In the UK, it is one of the most common raptors and the population has increased considerably during the last decades.

In this latest interview, Common Buzzard expert Sean Walls talks about the current situation of the Common Buzzard in the UK and also about it’s habitat requirements, food, dispersal and more.

Recently, some people in the UK demanded to make the shooting of Common Buzzards legal again. Sean explains what this could mean for the conservation of the Common Buzzard.

The Common Buzzard is a fascinating raptor and while not as large or impressive as a Golden Eagle, it has a interesting biology and shows many fascinating behaviors like worming, es explained and shown in Sean’s interview.

To learn more about the Common Buzzard in the UK and it’s biology and conservation, read the interview here:
Interview with Sean Walls about the Common Buzzard in UK

White-tailed Eagle chick in nest
© Alv Ottar Folkestad

I am happy to announce a new interview, this time about the White-tailed Eagle in Norway.

The White-tailed Eagle is one of the largest eagles in the world with a wingspan of up to around 245cm. During the last decades, the species has increased dramatically in many countries. In Europe, the largest population lives in Norway where Alv Ottar Folkestad has been studying the species for many years.

In this new interview, Alv explains the current situation of the White-tailed Eagle in Norway, how the population has developed over the last years, what threat’s it faces in the future (incl. wind farms) and why the European Otter is important for the White-tailed Eagle in Norway and many other interesting facts about this spectacular species.

See the interview for more information:

Interview with Alv Ottar Folkestad about the White-tailed Eagle in Norway

Spanish Imperial Eagles on corrected pylon
© EBD-CSIC

A new and very important interview in now available:

Interview Pascual López about power lines and raptors in Spain

In this interview, raptor Researcher Pascual López talks about power lines and raptors in Spain.
Around the world, power lines have long been a serious problem for raptor conservation (and other large birds like Great Bustards or White Storks). Either the birds collide with the power lines or they get electrocuted on dangerous pylons.

In Spain the problem is affecting many raptor species, including the rare and endangered Spanish Imperial Eagle and Bonelli’s Eagle, both species loosing many birds to electrocution.

But much can be done if some money is available and there is the will of governments and companies to make the world a little better for raptors.

Pascual describes in detail the situation in Spain and how it affects raptors, especially the Spanish Imperial Eagle and the Bonelli’s Eagle. He also explains what pylons are the most dangerous one, what must be done to make those safe for raptors and what already has been and is currently beeing done in Spain.

Also have a look at Pascual’s website (link at bottom of the interview) to find many interesting publications about raptors.

Kestrel female with brood in an old crow’s nest.
© Gordon Riddle

I am happy to announce a new interview, this time with Gordon Riddle about the Eurasian or Common in the United Kingdom.

Interview with Gordon Riddle about the Eurasian Kestrel the UK

The Eurasian or Common Kestrel is a widespread raptor and popular not only among bird watchers and ornithologists. He can be found in most European countries, often in agricultural areas or even in big cities but also in remote locations like the alps where it sometimes has to fight much bigger raptors like Golden Eagles who come to close to it’s nest.

Sadly, in many countries researches and bird watchers have seen a decline in Kestrel numbers, at least in part due to intensification of agriculture and loss of habitat and prey species.

In this new interview, Gordon Riddle, who has been studying the little falcon for almost 40 years, talks about the biology and conservation of the Kestrel in the UK and beyond and explains what must be done to make sure that future generations will see as many or more Kestrels then we do today.

Gordon is also the author of the soon to be published book Kestrels for company. See the interview for more information about the book.

Hobby chicks in nest, © Klaus-Dietrich Fiuczynski

A new interview is available, this time about the Eurasian Hobby in Germany:

Interview with Klaus-Dietrich Fiuczynski about the Eurasian Hobby in Germany

The Eurasian Hobby is a beautiful and elegant little falcon. A long distance migrant, it only spends a few months in Europe.
In this interview, Klaus-Dietrich Fiuczynski talks about the biology and conservation of the Eurasian Hobby in Germany.

Klaus talks about threats to the Hobby, what can be done to protect the species in the future, what gaps in our knowledge of the Hobby still exists and much more.

Klaus has been studying the Hobby for many years and has just published (together with Paul Sömmer) the 5th edition of a German monograph about the species.

See the interview and the links at the bottom for more information about the book.

An incubating female Hen Harrier, © Don Scott

A new interview about the Hen Harrier is available. This time about the Hen Harrier in Nothern Ireland:

Interview with Don Scott about the Hen Harrier in Northern Ireland

I am very happy that Don Scott has answered my questions.
Don is an expert on Harriers and has studied Hen Harriers for 25 years. He has also traveled around the world to study and observe all other harrier species. He has written a wonderful book Harriers: Journeys Around The World about this studies and has also recently finished another book about his studies of the Hen Harrier (see the interview for details).

In the interview, Don explains the current situation of the Hen Harrier in Northern Ireland, gives insights in the fascinating biology of this amazing bird (incl. tree nesting behaviour) and explains the current conservation situation of the Hen Harrier in Northern Ireland.