On Saturday a Þórarinn Rafnsson, who is a farmer in Miðfjörður fjord in North Iceland, captured an injured eagle near his farm on the banks of Miðfjarðará river. The eagle, which had trouble flying, was taken to Reykjavík where it is being cared for by the staff of the Icelandic Institute of Natural History.
Read more: The Icelandic Sea Eagle population larger than any time since 19th century
What makes the capture noteworthy is that the eagle, which is a male, is the oldest known Icelandic sea eagle. It was tagged as a young bird in Breiðafjörður bay in 1993 and has not been seen since. This makes the bird 25 years old. The average life-span of white-tailed eagles is 21 years and the oldest birds known have lived to become more than 25 years old. This means that the injured bird Þórarinn captured is most likely one of the oldest white-tailed eagles alive today.
Þórarinn noticed the eagle on the banks of Miðfjarðará, where it made repeated unsuccessful attempts to take flight. Þórarinn followed the eagle and threw his jacket over the bird to capture it. He then took the eagle home where he fed the raptor wild salmon from Miðfjarðará river, and some lamb meat. He then contacted the police for advice on how to handle the situation.
According to a statement from the Police in North Iceland the officers met up with Þórarinn and after conversations with experts they determined that the best course of action was to take the eagle to Reykjavík where it could be cared for by trained professionals.
On Saturday a Þórarinn Rafnsson, who is a farmer in Miðfjörður fjord in North Iceland, captured an injured eagle near his farm on the banks of Miðfjarðará river. The eagle, which had trouble flying, was taken to Reykjavík where it is being cared for by the staff of the Icelandic Institute of Natural History.
Read more: The Icelandic Sea Eagle population larger than any time since 19th century
What makes the capture noteworthy is that the eagle, which is a male, is the oldest known Icelandic sea eagle. It was tagged as a young bird in Breiðafjörður bay in 1993 and has not been seen since. This makes the bird 25 years old. The average life-span of white-tailed eagles is 21 years and the oldest birds known have lived to become more than 25 years old. This means that the injured bird Þórarinn captured is most likely one of the oldest white-tailed eagles alive today.
Þórarinn noticed the eagle on the banks of Miðfjarðará, where it made repeated unsuccessful attempts to take flight. Þórarinn followed the eagle and threw his jacket over the bird to capture it. He then took the eagle home where he fed the raptor wild salmon from Miðfjarðará river, and some lamb meat. He then contacted the police for advice on how to handle the situation.
According to a statement from the Police in North Iceland the officers met up with Þórarinn and after conversations with experts they determined that the best course of action was to take the eagle to Reykjavík where it could be cared for by trained professionals.
