First documented nesting by White-tailed Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Eastern Slovakia

The 1980’s and 90’s saw growth in the population and expansion of the areas occupied by White-tailed Sea Eagles over the whole territory of their occurrence in Europe. Under this influence the number of these eagles observed during the nesting period also increased in Eastern Slovakia. The most frequent occurrences have been recorded in the wetland woods along the River Latorica on the East Slovakian Plain, but so far without any documented nesting. In 2002 one pair built a nest in the Vihorlat Hills near Zemplínska šírava reservoir, but they did not actually nest in it either that or the following year. Breeding by these eagles in these hills was noted over 70 years ago by Hrabar (1932) and Molnár (1933), but no nesting was documented. Nesting was documented for the first time in 2004, when one pair successfully raised two offspring. This pair successfully bred in the same nest in 2005 and 2006 too.