Eagle deaths in Spain more than halved

EAGLE deaths have fallen by 62 per cent in Spain thanks to improvements made in pylons and power lines. This means that for every adult that dies there is a chick to replace him or her.

Prior to the improvements, 158 Imperial Eagles died since 1974. Their bodies were often found on the ground next to a pylon. Forty per cent of the species died in Andalucia, 101 of them in the Donaña Nature Park.

Endesa financed the report on the birds which was promoted by The Superior Council for Scientific Investigations (CSIC). Future work is to decrease even more the number that die, according to CSIC researcher Miguel Ferrer in the Biological Station in the Donaña Park.

Today (Monday) Ferrer is in the USA promoting the National Congress on Wind Parks and birds. Spain is a pioneer in combining respect for birds and the new wind mills, says Ferrer. Mistaken placements of wind farms on high mountains can lead to high mortality in the birds.