A white-tailed eagle has been spotted at Lake Het Vinne, part of the provincial nature reserve in the municipality of Zoutleeuw (Flemish Brabant). ‘It is a rare sighting in our region to spot this eagle, which has a wingspan of around 2.4 metres,’ says Philippe Smets of the East Brabant Bird Working Group.
It was a special and rare moment at Lake Het Vinne in Zoutleeuw on Tuesday. A white-tailed eagle, the largest European eagle, landed here. It was an event that amateur photographer Eddy Koninckx was able to capture. "It was quite far away, but still clearly recognisable," says Eddy.
"Because of its size, it stood out against the geese that were there. It wasn’t easy to get a sharp photo of it, due to the distance and the glare on the water. But I’m glad I managed to photograph it anyway.”
Breeding pairs
Philippe Smets of the East Brabant Bird Working Group confirms that this is a rarity in these regions. “We see them once or twice a year in this region,” he says. “In the Netherlands, there are 45 breeding pairs, and their young birds fly out and spend the winter in France, at Lac du Der. When they fly back, they sometimes make a stopover in Belgium.”
"A white-tailed eagle likes to eat waterbirds and fish," Smets continues. "And Lake Het Vinne is simply teeming with them. So that’s probably why it stopped there on Monday evening. And this morning at 10 o’clock, there were the right thermal conditions again, allowing it to resume its migration and fly further north."
For the time being, there are no breeding pairs at Het Vinne. "There is, however, a breeding pair in West Flanders, in the De Blankaart nature reserve in Diksmuide. They have had chicks for two years running."