Chicks of white-tailed eagle and osprey hatch in Gribskov forest

Danish ornithologists rejoice

For the first time in the same year, white-tailed eagle and osprey chicks have hatched in Gribskov, a state-owned forest in northern Zealand.

It is a very rare event, especially in such a busy forest, explained Luise Ekberg from the Danish Ornithological Society (DOS), whose members have reported the news.

Last year, it was the first time in 100 years that a pair of white-tailed eagles nested and hatched chicks in Gribskov.

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In 2015, the forest was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and the local branch of DOS closely co-operates with the Danish Nature Agency in the area to protect the birds of prey.

According to Ekberg, there are about 100 pairs of birds of prey in Denmark, but most of them nest in small, privately-owned forests.

Osprey is on the Danish Red List categorised as critically endangered, while the white-tailed eagle is categorised as rare.

Both species have been absent from Denmark as breeding birds for many years, but seem to be slowly returning.