To promote the nesting success and protection of golden eagles, LVM environmental experts build artificial nest bases for them out of spruce poles. Eagles have spent the last few weeks adding fresh pine branches to one such base, which was installed in the wetlands of Eastern Latvia in 2017. The eagles have created a depression in the centre of the nest, known as the nesting bowl. During a check of the nest, a male golden eagle was observed nearby displaying courtship behaviour and emitting its characteristic shrill calls. These signs indicate possible preparations for nesting, which typically begins in the second half of March,” explains LVM senior environmental expert Uģis Bergmanis.

The Latvian golden eagle population is estimated at 8-10 pairs, and it is one of the rarest breeding bird species in Latvia. Golden eagles inhabit vast peatland massifs and their surrounding forests. Golden eagles are resident birds; they build their nests as early as winter, but eggs are laid in March, when the marshes are usually still covered by a deep layer of snow and night-time temperatures often drop below minus 10 degrees.