– It is extreme with up to 40 eagles in the rock face, together with ravens and crows – which take many of the eggs. These are eggs from which the red-listed seabirds desperately need to produce young, says mayor Tor Erik Labahå (Sp). On Wednesday, he sent a letter of concern to the Ministry of the Environment demanding that they do something to stop the eagles. Norwegian law makes it possible to shoot eagles to protect sheep and domestic reindeer. Labahå is asking for the rules to be changed, so that seabirds that are threatened with extinction can also be protected. Sea eagles were once threatened with extinction, but now the population is viable. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn Freedom for roaming eagles The problems on Hornøya started in the summer of 2019. Until then, a pair of sea eagles had nested on the neighboring island. They defended a large territory and kept other eagles away from the seabird colony. When the pair disappeared, it was free for other eagles. They came in large numbers. It primarily affects the lomvi. The eagles catch the occasional loon, but the worst thing is that they scare the birds away from the nest. Then the eggs lie without protection, so seagulls and ravens can feed themselves. Starting in the summer of 2019, the attacks have been so violent that the lomvi has only produced a handful of young. In recent years, only the occasional gannet has come to sea at Hornøya. It would have been many thousands. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn Wants to issue a felling permit himself “It is very worrying that the seabirds, despite the fact that access to food is very good, are still unable to carry out a productive breeding season”, writes Labahå in the letter to the Norwegian Environment Agency. Labahå believes the solution is obvious: to kill eagles. He wants local authorities, such as the municipality itself or the state administrator, to be empowered to initiate measures. “Without such a change, we risk that red-listed species will continue to be killed by eagles, which could lead to their complete extinction in our areas,” the letter says. Failure again this year Seabird researcher Tone Reiertsen has followed the seabirds on Hornøya for 20 years. This summer, she has seen that most of the species have done moderately well, but the lomvi is still a sad exception. – We are registering a total nest failure, says Reiertsen. Researcher Tone Reiertsen sees that there is still a large population of adult loons on Hornøya, even though they have not produced young for many years. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn She confirms that the interaction between the eagles and the egg thieves is the cause this year as well. Nevertheless, she is unsure whether shooting eagles is a good solution. – We see that sea eagles can migrate all the way from Denmark in the south and upwards. It is not certain that it will be enough to launch local sea eagles when you get supplies from other places. The knowledge is not present for us to say anything about it yet, says Reiertsen. The researchers would like to test other measures – for example, whether there are deterrents that work against eagles, without bothering the seabirds. – It could be a measure, but we don’t know if it will be effective enough, says Reiertsen. They have applied several times for money to research the case. So far they have received nothing. Reiertsen emphasizes that it is the administration and not the researchers who decide whether something should be done with the eagles. For the lomvi, climate change and food shortages are also a problem, says the Norwegian Environment Agency. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn Clearly no from the directorate The Norwegian Environment Agency is completely averse to shooting sea eagles. – I understand the municipality’s concerns. But it will be too simple and one-sided to blame sea eagles. It’s not just about Hornøya, but the whole of coastal Norway and the decline in the surrounding colonies, says Jo Anders Auran, senior advisor at the Norwegian Environment Agency. Climate change and food shortages are important reasons why seabirds are struggling. Sea eagles are only a tiny piece in the overall picture, says Auran. There are between 2,700 and 4,000 nesting pairs of sea eagles in Norway. In addition, there are young birds that have not started nesting, and that often fly north. There they get food both in the bird mountains and in the sea. Jo Anders Auran in the Norwegian Environment Agency. Photo: Private – For an omnivore, which the sea eagle is, removing individual individuals operating in the area will not have any effect on seabird populations, because new sea eagles will arrive, says Auran. – But what about taking out a larger number of individuals? In Vardø, people talk about there being dozens of eagles. – It has not been that many decades since the sea eagle was protected in Norway, it was in 1968. Then it was a similarly threatened population as some of the seabirds are today. The success story of sea eagles is a story to be presented internationally, says Auran. Will not compare with red foxes The state still shoots predators to save critically endangered species elsewhere. The red fox is released to save the mountain fox in Varanger and the pygmy goose on the breeding grounds in Indre Finnmark. Auran believes this cannot be compared to shooting sea eagles to save seabirds. – Human influences and climate change make it very easy for a high red fox population. It also has a great ability to recruit itself back again, says Auran. Compared to the loon, the arctic fox and pygmy goose are also much rarer species, for which Norway has a particular international responsibility, he points out. Want tourists who frighten Hornøya is a tourist magnet. People who want to watch the birdlife there keep the eagles away to some extent. But local people and scientists do not agree on how big the effect is. The problem is that the tourists also disturb red-listed seabirds. Puffins and loons in particular are vulnerable at the nest, says Tone Reiertsen. The Norwegian Environment Agency has proposed tightening the rules for traffic. They will keep the tourists in a small area on the west side of the island to protect the seabirds. The municipality has strongly protested. It will affect tourism and, in the worst case, cause more eagle trouble, they believe. Reiertsen is not aware of any research that answers what the net effect of less tourism will be. The black-backed gull is among the large gulls that are helped by the sea eagle to raid nests. In recent years, the cormorant has responded to the threat by nesting in hiding under rocks. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn / news Psst – a bit of bird geekery at the end for those of you who are particularly interested: The disturbances from sea eagles affect the species on Hornøya differently, explains Tone Reiertsen: The krikks are nimble fliers that quickly return to the nest when the sea eagle has passed, so they can protect the eggs. In recent years, the cormorant has changed its behavior in response to the eagle plague. It has learned to nest more in hiding under stones and cliffs. For puffins and auks, which nest in caves, the researchers do not see that the eagle has an effect. The lomvien, on the other hand, nests on open shelves on Hornøya, and does not have the same opportunity to seek shelter. Elsewhere, where there are more rock clocks available, loons are seen hiding in response to the sea eagles. Published 24/08/2024, at 23.37
ttn-69
Lomvien on Hornøya without cubs six years in a row – now the mayor wants to shoot eagles – news Troms and Finnmark
