A tale of love and parenthood on the Vršac mountains
The vast natural surrounds and woodlands of the Vršac mountains offer a favourable habitat for some of the rare and protected bird varieties in Serbia. As a region rich in snakes, reptiles and other suitable prey, it is a refuge for a small but invaluable population of short-toed eagles.
In order to additionally explore the hidden world of these magnificent birds of prey within the project entitled No Species Dies Alone, Telekom Srbija extended its support for the Gea Nature Society which, in cooperation with the managing company - the Vršac Mountains Landscape of Exceptional Features, mounted a 4G camera in the immediate proximity to the nest made by a couple of short-toed eagles, This is the first time that such monitoring is used for short-toed eagles in this country, thus making it possible for us to witness the touching story of the love of the caring parents welcoming their offspring in their secret nook.
The camera recorded some precious moments – from the return of the eagles to their breeding grounds, fixing the old nest, courtship, mating, preparing for parenting before the young is hatched, taking care of the young, helping fledgeling to exercise its wings and make the first awkward fledging attempts, to the magical moment when the eaglet first took a flight from the nest. With the support from its parents and followed by a keen eye of the camera, it grew and developed till it became ready to fledge into the new world of adventures.
The short-toed eagle, a specific kind of a raptor whose pray is mostly snakes, but also some lizards and rodents, has a key role in the natural control of reptile populations. Its presence in habitats testifies to a healthy environment since the snake varieties it feeds on cannot survive in contaminated areas.
In 2021 and for the first time in Serbia, in cooperation with the Foundation for the Protection of Raptors and the Gea Nature Society within the project entitled No Species Dies Alone, Telekom Srbija helped include short-toed eagles in the satellite telemetry programme and track their migrations towards Africa. Last year, the tracking of this migratory species was additionally enhanced through 4G video monitoring so as to record all activities during the most vulnerable nesting period without disturbing either the parents or their young.
The application of such protection measures provided the experts with an authentic insight, at the same time reminding us of the importance of saving every life in the natural world.
Let us preserve the most important of all networks. The network of life. No species dies alone.
