Dutch sea eagles’ fifth breeding year?

This is a video of 3 sea eagles, 2 adults and 1 immature, in Lac du Der, France.

From Dutch news agency ANP:

White-tailed eagle couple celebrates five-year jubilee

January 19, 2010 17:43

It appears that the white-tailed eagle couple which already has nested for four years in succession in the nature reserve Oostvaardersplassen, will celebrate its five-year jubilee this year. The raptors recently were ‘away from home’, probably because there was too little food in the area. So said Hans Breeveld of Staatsbosbeheer this Tuesday.

The eagles are repairing their nest again, because the breeding season begins in February. So far they have raised five young. The first and second years one egg hatched, in the third year two eaglets hatched, and last year one. Then, there were two eggs in the nest, but only one hatched.

The animals apparently like this wetland. According to Breeveld are they fairly ‘lazy’ birds. “They swoop down from the tree to catch their prey.”

In the spring there are plenty of goslings to feed the eaglets, and in winter they regularly catch adult geese for themselves, says Breeveld. In the summer, when the water level drops, it is easy to catch carp and zander in the ponds.

Sea eagles are scavengers as well. They eat carcasses of deer which have died.

The couple of eagles which has chosen Oostvaardersplassen to raise their young is the only breeding couple in the Netherlands. Elsewhere, there are eagles as well , but they do not breed yet. The rangers hope that more eagles will come to ‘their’ nature reserve to raise their eaglets.

I know that the Oostvaardersplassen eagles also eat muskrats (which originally came from North America to European fur farms, and escaped later).

Young sea eagles, born in Oostvaardersplassen in previous years, winter in Tiengemeten nature reserve this year.

Tayside police have confirmed that a white-tailed sea eagle found dead last year was deliberately killed using banned pesticides. This bird was released as part of the East Scotland re-introduction scheme and was one of 15 donated by Norway to Scotland: here.

Scotland: White-tailed Eagles had a good breeding season on Mull in 2009, with visitors who come to see them generating much-needed income for the local economy: here.

Are Sea eagles coming back to Suffolk? Here.

Bald Eagle Viewing Sites Across the U.S.: here.