Sea Eagles in the Netherlands: soaring back in the country

Great news for animal and bird lovers! It’s official! There’s another new nest of sea eagles in the Netherlands! This time two lovebirds have made a nest near Biddinghuizen, in the province of Flevoland. The local forest ranger, Vahid Dizdareviz, spotted the couple setting up a new nest in mid-March. According to State Forest Management Service (Staatsbosbeheer) there is currently at least one chick in the nest.

To ensure maximum safety and chance of survival, a wide area around the sea eagle nest has been protected and is forbidden for everyone except those from the Forest Management Service themselves.

A Majestic Return for the Sea Eagle in the Netherlands

The sea eagles aren’t entirely new to Holland though, they’ve returned since 2006, after being gone for centuries – the Dutch changed the landscape so much, and disturbed the ecosystem while doing it, that the eagle simply couldn’t hold ground. It faced similar problems in much of the rest of Europe. But the Dutch have been making strides to restore their habitats and bring back the natural balance in the past few decades. So far it has been fairly successful, with the return of the sea eagle being the crown achievement.

So far, 44 successful nests throughout the country have managed to raise their young to adulthood. The most popular spots for these big birds of prey are the Biesbosch, a wetland area just outside of Dordrecht, Lauwersmeer in Frisia, and the amazing Oostvaardersplassen in Flevoland. The latter is also home to Europe’s largest herd of wild horses as well as wild deer and other unique wild life.

In the past, the Dutch authorities have installed webcams at nests for people to view the growing chicks live, but a new placement has not yet been announced. If you are curious to see older nests, you can check it out here.

Sea eagles in the Netherlands: Restoring Pride, Not Just Nature

Needless to say the Dutch are proud that their environmental efforts are paying off and that the European Sea Eagle has chosen our wetlands as the main base of operation to take over Europe. Sorry if that sounds like Nazi Germany, but from what we understand the eagles never agreed to their likeness being used as a symbol for the Fourth Reich.

If you’re curious about the difference between the American “Bald Eagle” and the European “White-Tailed Eagle”, the latter has a brown head as opposed to the distinctive white head on its American cousin. Rumor also has it that Bald Eagle has been dating Jennifer Lawrence while the White-Tailed Eagle is too busy setting up a TV show for fishing- and hunting enthusiasts…

Oh hey, do us a favor and share with us if you ever see any Sea Eagles in the Netherlands!