The first sea eagle ever born in the Markiezaat near Bergen op Zoom died after a collision with a windmill. It is the third white-tailed eagle in a few years to fly into the blades of a wind turbine. Forest ranger Erik de Jonge hopes that the nearby Kreekrak Wind Farm will invest in a bird detection system: “This has to stop”.
Three years ago, the bird of prey, named WN76, was born in the West Brabant nature reserve. It was the first sea eagle young to be born in the Marquisate, but that short life came to an end this week.
The Zeeland Animal Welfare Foundation received a report that a large bird had been seen near a wind turbine at the Kreekrak Wind Farm, just past Woensdrecht. After an hours-long search, the sea eagle was found fluttering in the forest.
Not for the first time
“He had a major fracture in his wing. Unfortunately, he could not be saved and we had to put him to sleep,” ranger Erik mourns. It is not the first time that a sea eagle has flown into the blades of a wind turbine. “This is already the third bird in a few years.”
Three years ago, the forester asked the Zeeland wind farm if they wanted to invest in a bird detection system, which recognizes bird species with a smart camera and can slow down the blades within seven seconds. “They went to investigate that, but it still hasn’t happened. I’m going to look into it again, because this has to stop,” says the forest ranger.
Baby news
The population of sea eagles is small in the Markiezaat. “The good news is that the parents of this deceased sea eagle had a chick last week. Another young sea eagle settled in Belgium some time ago.”
The ranger wants to create a special place for the deceased bird of prey. “We are discussing whether we can have the bald eagle mounted and placed in our visitor center. This is the first one ever born here.”
