It was the German tourist and bird watcher Rebekka Leiß who took the spectacular photos of the serpent eagle on Værøy. She says that she discovered the unknown bird of prey quite by accident. – My only plan for the day was to enjoy the sun and go up the mountain Håen to get a wide view of Værøy. I spotted some kind of bird of prey flying over the mountain, so I decided to stop to take a closer look and take some pictures. She is glad she brought binoculars with her on the trip, in addition to her photography equipment. – The plumage may indicate that it is a young eagle, says Steve Baines. Photo: Rebekka Leiß Through the binoculars, she could quickly ascertain that it was an eagle, but not one that is common in northern latitudes. – I have no idea what species it was. I took lots of pictures so I could identify the bird later. – Very exciting. That same evening, she studied the pictures more closely and compared them with the bird book. – My conclusion was that the bird looked like a snake eagle. But I was unsure if my identification was correct. So I contacted some friends who finally confirmed my identification of the bird. Rebekka Leiß is on holiday in Lofoten. Here she had a blast with the observation of a snake eagle. Photo: private Rebekka Leiß I decided to contact the Norwegian Committee for Rare Birds (NSKF). – And very quickly I got confirmation that it was indeed a snake eagle. Very exciting, says the German bird watcher. Snakes on the menu Steve Baines, who is associated with Røst bird station, says that several people have seen the rare guest at the far end of Lofoten. Snake eagles have also been observed near the airport in Røst, which is the neighboring municipality of Værøy. There are approximately 40 kilometers between the two island municipalities. Serpent eagles have been observed in Vestfold and Møre and Romsdal in the past, according to Baines. – The observation is probably the northernmost recorded finding of a snake eagle in the world. It is both sensational and totally unexpected, says Baines. Eagle expert Alv Ottar Folkestad has been researching sea eagles for more than 40 years. He was there when a serpent eagle was observed in Møre and Romsdal in the 1980s. – It is extremely rare for serpent eagles to be observed in Norway. And especially that it has come as far north as Lofoten. It is also special that such good pictures were taken of it, he says. The serpent eagle feeds on snakes, lizards and lizards. – 80 percent of the diet consists of snake. On Værøy and Røst there are neither snakes nor lizards – not so much as a viper, says Steve Baines. He thinks the eagle may have tried to hunt rats. – Serpent eagles are not known to take birds, so there is no danger for already nesting birds in Lofoten. Standing still in the air, Baines says that the serpent eagle can be similar to the osprey. But it is more powerful and has wide, unlike ospreys which have thin wings. With a wingspan of up to 170 centimetres, it is slightly smaller than the sea eagle, which can have a wingspan of between 190 and 240 centimetres. Steve Baines, who is associated with the Røst bird station, says that several bird watchers have observed the serpent eagle on Værøy and Røst. Serpent eagles also have a special hunting technique. They can stand still in the air when looking for prey, according to Baines. How did it end up here? The species breeds in southern and eastern Europe, as well as in northern Africa and the southwestern parts of Asia, to India. – How did the serpent eagle get so off course and end up at the far end of Lofoten? – The plumage may indicate that it is a young eagle. It may have been chased from an established nesting area in the immediate area. Then it may have been looking for a new place, says Steve Baines. Alv Ottar Folkestad believes the serpent eagle has been transported north with the warm air currents from the Mediterranean area. Possibly Spain. – The plumage may indicate that it is a young eagle, says Steve Baines. Photo: Rebekka Leiß – This type of bird benefits from warm air currents from the south. That means fast transport. On the Mørekysten, several towering sailors have been observed in the past week, which he believes have come the same way, he says. Steve Baines keeps the possibility open that it came from Eastern Europe and flew over Poland, Finland, Sweden and into Norway. – It may have realized that it was astray, and headed south again. When you head south along the coast, Lofoten will seem like a funnel, says Baines. – If it gets a little high above Værøy, it looks good Røst. It may have headed there to see if there were any snakes there. Rather disappointed, it has turned around and returned the same way. But it’s hard to say, it’s just speculation, says Steve Baines. Rebekka Leiß has only one wish for the bird of prey that ended up in Lofoten. – I hope the eagle finds its way back home.
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– Sensational and completely unexpected – news Nordland
