Sea Eagles in Wadden Sea National Park

The sea eagle, with its wingspan of up to 240 cm, is one of the major fliers in the Wadden Sea National Park. It is at least the largest bird of prey in the area, and it is clear that the many other birds in the Wadden Sea have great respect for 'the flying door, which some like to call the great eagle.

In the past, the proud bird was not common to see in the wading sea area, but in the past two decades more and more have just appeared. This is happening as the Danish and north German breeding populations have grown, and it is especially during the winter season that the eagles have spotted the Wadden Sea and the good feeding conditions on the coast here. This applies to both the adult breeding birds and especially the many young birds that are gradually emerging from the growing breeding population. In some places, such as on Fanø and tøndermarsken, you can nowadays experience seeing more than ten sea eagles in a single day.

The sea eagles' eating list is long, and they take both freshly caught prey and carrion. However, it seems that duck birds, and preferably larger duckbirds, such as bramgæs are the preferred prey. And if you're lucky, you can watch them chase across the Wadden Sea and experience how the slightly heavy and clumsy birds turn into lightning-fast and well-manoeuvring killers!

(Text: J. Frikke)