The pair of sea eagles in the De Blankaart nature reserve in Woumen have indeed given birth to two chicks. This is evident from video footage in which both chicks raise their heads above the nest for the first time.
The two chicks were spotted with the naked eye for the first time on Monday, and the young birds were also captured on video at 6.45am on Tuesday morning. It is the first time that European white-tailed eagle chicks have hatched in our country.
The suspicion that there were not one but two chicks in the nest had existed for some time. Sea eagles often lay two eggs, and in addition, the behavior of parents Paul and Betty had changed: they no longer brooded on the nest, but flew back and forth more often with food and nesting material.
However, we had to wait a while for confirmation, because in order not to disturb the peace of the birds, filming with a drone was not possible. Thanks to the patience of the volunteers, it is now certain that there are two chicks in the nest.
After a survey by Natuurpunt, the chicks were given the names Guido and Gloria, a reference to the ‘glorious moment’ for the Blankaart and to the curator of the nature reserve, Guido Vandenbroucke. The young birds also have a godfather: the West Flemish actor and actress Wim Willaert and Maaike Cafmeyer.
Tags: sea eagle chicks emerge nest time West Flemish nature reserve Blankaart Diksmuide
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