Tõnn's Travels

[Retari]

Hey is there any new information Tönn? is the camera photographing the home so we can see when Tönn and Tiiu arrive

[Rita]

Here is the link to Tönn's nest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUEtchxlOz8

[Solo]

April 19
Hello everyone

there are sad news

info by Aksuta https://www.looduskalender.ee/forum/vie ... 24#p790524:

https://www.birdforum.net/threads/tonn- ... ost-415771
by Torchepot, Well-known member - Mar 7, 2021
Not sounding good I’m afraid - I heard back from someone local - with a lot less birders around it may be that the worst has happened - I quote
“Disappeared from the radar on 23rd December - it is assumed that he has been shot by hunters and the body and transmitter have been destroyed. A terrible shame, but that is Spain for you. That may be wrong and he may turn up in Estonia later this year, but it is not likely.”
I’m really hoping it’s a transmitter failure - but if it was he would still be seen sitting in his favourite tree. I spent many, many hours watching Tonn over several winters - it’s like losing an old friend. I’m really gutted, I never really understood how so much shooting was allowed there - in some ways it’s incredible that he survived as long as he did. Ominously there have been no sightings of any other GSE there in recent weeks either.

and continuation https://www.birdforum.net/threads/tonn- ... st-4158025:
by Torchepot, Well-known member - Mar 8, 2021
Found out a bit more last night. After the signal stopped moving a search was made at the last location - no sign was found except some used shotgun cartridges. Seems pretty final
I spent more time watching Tonn than any other bird I’ve ever seen in my life. Every winter when I got down to Spain my first thought was always to cycle out and look for him. I felt it was a great privilege to be able to spend so much time in his company. Year by year I learned a little bit more about his habits and had some very close and prolonged encounters.
It was always a relief to see that he’d returned to Estonia after each migration. I worked out once that he’d flown over 100,000 km on his wanderings.
Now in a pointless moment of ignorance and casual violence he’s gone. To say I’m upset is an understatement.

[Solo]

On the youtube ( Kotkaklubi):

The Greater Spotted Eagle nest is located in Harju County, Estonia. We have known this nest since 2016. Every year since then one eaglet has fledged here. The male Tõnn, who has been nesting here, is equipped with GPS-transmitter. Unfortunately he disappeared during autumn migration in 2021 in Spain. We don't know what happened to him. The female bird Tiiu returned from spring migration on April 10th.

I am very, very sad

infos and photos - our Tõnn
https://www.looduskalender.ee/forum/vie ... 66#p519266

[Treia]

So sad news...

[asteria]

A few thoughts came to my mind yesterday after I visited the zoo(not a single GSE lives there, only the LSE and the buzzard couples placed together in one aviary). Maybe there is any sense of checking the zoos and those ppl who use birds of prey for making a photo with tourists as well. The more rare the bird is, the more expensive it is and poachers certainly know about it.

One more thing: maybe not only breeding place but also constant wintering place of migrating birds should be hidden from the public. No "favourite trees" etc.

[Solo]

Asteria, I agree with you

even in relation to Mare, I always have doubts whether to publish data in detail, when she is already in one place; "bad people", however, always find their paths - ruthless photographers, hunters and poachers; very, very probably they do not need data from public maps or LK - they have their own resources and information, experience

not only birdmap, but also the movebank map and much more migration map are public however, some of them can only be brought closer to a certain level - I don't think this would be a problem for domestic poachers and hunters - perhaps only for potentially insensitive visitors to their place of stay, e.g. night resting place

(Tõnn's last lines/localisations are in new area - he hadn't lines there in all the previous years)

btw. the current ZOO should have completely different functions, e.g. they could have an irreplaceable place in connection with the rescue of endangered species and e.g. they could be rescue stations (there is a shortage of them), there could be only permanently affected or aged unwanted animals in suitable conditions ...

[Solo]

Pérez-García, Juan & Sellis, Urmas & Väli, Ülo. (2014). Winter ranging behaviour of a greater spotted eagle (Aquila clanga) in southeast Spain during four consecutive years. Slovak Raptor Journal. 8. 123-128. 10.2478/srj-2014-0014.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ue ... -years.pdf

also this photo (by Urmas Sellis: https://i.postimg.cc/X72NKD1S/TONN-U-Sellis.jpg):


Aquila clanga called " Tõnn " equipped with a transmitter in Estonia as a fledgling and which wintered for four consecutive seasons in the Hondo Natural Park (Spain). Picture taken on October 25, 2010 in the Hondo Natural Park

[Romek]

Hello,
I have been a "silent observer" for many years, but rarely speak in the forum. Forgive me for what I say.

One more thing: maybe not only breeding place but also constant wintering place of migrating birds should be hidden from the public. No "favourite trees" etc.

I'm pretty sure – Asteria is absolutely right. Why? Because we live in a world where there are many good people, but unfortunately, the bad, very bad people is even more. They will stop at nothing, even the biggest meanness.
Nature and animals must be protected at all costs. There seems to be no other way.
Tõnn's tragic and completely senseless death is the saddest example.

[Solo]

I also agreed with the idea of asteria, but:
1/ Kotkaklubi: "We don't know what happened to him."
2/ Tõnn's last lines/localisations are in new area - he never had lines there in previous years - exactly only occasionally in 2019 and 2018 and never at the place of the last location (i.e. not in the area with the favorite tree, etc.)





I am very, very sorry for his lost

[Polly]

A few thoughts came to my mind yesterday after I visited the zoo(not a single GSE lives there, only the LSE and the buzzard couples placed together in one aviary). Maybe there is any sense of checking the zoos and those ppl who use birds of prey for making a photo with tourists as well. The more rare the bird is, the more expensive it is and poachers certainly know about it.

One more thing: maybe not only breeding place but also constant wintering place of migrating birds should be hidden from the public. No "favourite trees" etc.

Yes. In principle, it's a start.

Only, tougher laws are needed - penalties for poachers.
Every country has different priorities. And in the end it will fail because of the implementation.

Known whereabouts (at the beginning) would have to be strictly protected and observed. It takes a very well networked, loyal organization in the respective countries to implement this.
It costs money and you need passionate helpers. And laws are needed that make it possible to arrest poachers.

The 'simple masses' will always look away. No matter how many dead animals and sad fates she is presented with. That’s a fact.

[sigge]

As Mehdi said his last position is in a hunting zone so no wonder if there are shotgun cartridges on the ground.
His last movements on the map is not normal so I think he was not feeling very well.
It would be very surprising if there was no avian flu, H5xx.., there with this concentration of water birds. This has caused the death of other raptors like eagle owl and the beloved city peregrine falcon here at home.
So maybe he was sick and flew into a power line and the sender got shorted.

Or, the sender just stopped working and he is flying around somewhere else

Anyway Tõnn will never be forgotten and will always have a place in my heart.

[asteria]

As Mehdi said his last position is in a hunting zone so no wonder if there are shotgun cartridges on the ground.
His last movements on the map is not normal so I think he was not feeling very well.
It would be very surprising if there was no avian flu, H5xx.., there with this concentration of water birds. This has caused the death of other raptors like eagle owl and the beloved city peregrine falcon here at home.
So maybe he was sick and flew into a power line and the sender got shorted.

Or, the sender just stopped working and he is flying around somewhere else

Anyway Tõnn will never be forgotten and will always have a place in my heart.

Or caught and sold somewhere. Such birds are very expensive. Many tagged birds were shot and flew into power lines but their transmitters went on working.