Modern research methods to allow scientists to learn more about the life of white-shouldered eagles

The press service of the Kronotsky Reserve reported that the South Kamchatka Federal Reserve uses the most modern technologies to study white-shouldered eagles. For example, a quadcopter with an infrared camera was recently used for the first time. This device made it possible to capture bird clusters at night without disturbing them. The field work was carried out as part of the long-term monitoring of feathered predators wintering on the Kuril Lake.

Now specialists will have to process and analyze several hundred images. This year, the eagle counts were conducted jointly with Kamchatka State University. Vitus Bering. The project is at the initial stage of implementation. Scientists will have to figure out how to search for eagles correctly in order to carry out site surveys in the future.

The white-shouldered eagle is the largest bird of prey in the Far East. Its population does not exceed 14 thousand individuals. The largest natural concentration of these birds is observed annually in winter on the Kuril Lake.

This type is very difficult to study, so experts resort to the most modern research methods. Many field work is carried out remotely, for example, using camera traps. They are installed in places where eagles congregate during the winter and near nests.

"Since 2020, within the framework of the joint program of the Kronotsky and Darwin Nature Reserves, the number, age composition and features of the territorial distribution of white-shouldered eagles wintering in the Kuril Lake basin have been monitored. This year, about 400 feathered giants were observed in February," the report says.

The long–term plans of scientists include the identification and long-term monitoring of the nests of white-shouldered eagles on the territory of the Kronotsky Reserve. The next research will take place in the summer.