White-tailed Eagle Reintroduction Program
Sponsor, reintroduce and preserve!
In 2023, we decided to support the Lake Geneva Eagles conservation project: the reintroduction of White-tailed Eagles.
A national action plan has been put in place to help the return of the fishing eagle to our country. It is within this framework that from 2022 to 2030, 85 young eagles will be reintroduced from the shores of Lake Geneva.
A young eagle was therefore sponsored by the Château des Milandes and will take flight in 2024.
History
Called Orfraie until the Middle Ages, this eagle was common in France until the 18th century. He even gave the popular expression “pour des cris d’orfraie” which means to shout in an exaggerated manner.
Then, the eagles were systematically killed like many other predators. This hunting led to the disappearance of the species in mainland France in 1892 in Thonon-les-Bains on the shores of Lake Geneva (74) and in 1959 in Corsica.
It was only in 2011 that a first couple was seen again in France in Lorraine, then in 2018 two couples then settled in 2018, one in Brenne (36) and a second in Lorraine.
Zoological parks, naturalists and scientists are joining forces to make this return a symbol of our ability to restore our biodiversity.
Our contribution
In 2023, we made the decision to join in this fantastic project of reintroduction of this eagle in France.
In addition to being a wonderful action for biodiversity, the project also involves the public through its education: the young eagle, called Milandes, will be equipped with a GPS beacon allowing us to follow the wanderings of our protégé (we will do everything we can to ensure that our visitors can follow his movements).
The longevity of eagles can be extremely significant (sometimes more than 30 years) and will allow us to see if it will reproduce, which will make this project a reality.
Thus, the Château des Milandes sponsored a couple, Paulette and Louis, who gave birth to a little one on April 17, 2023. It is in good health and we can watch it evolve with its parents via a camera filming the nest.
We are going to update this page and give news about Milandes to our visitors because… it is growing very quickly!
Be active in the preservation of species
For 50 euros per year, you will receive an internet code which will allow you to connect from anywhere to cameras in the nests and GPS beacons. Also receive a wallpaper photo and educational games to share with your children.
Your donation is used to purchase GPS beacons for the eaglets, which allow:
To help birds if necessary
Secure areas where birds settle
Analyze the risks associated with power lines and wind turbines
Document the scientific studies surrounding all phases of the program
Together, let’s restore our biodiversity and educate our children to protect it!
Do not hesitate to consult the website HERE.
The latest news!
His parents take care of him tirelessly so that he becomes a big, strong and free eagle. So much so that he is now able to get down and back up from the nest and therefore explore his aviary before the next step!
He will stay in his aviary with his parents until the end of July which will allow him to have the best possible learning. It will then move into an aviary twice as large, called the take-off aviary. He will be in the company of the 9 other eaglets who were born in this aviary this year and will be able to develop his flying skills while learning to fish in a pond.
We will then have the immense joy of being able to release him directly from this aviary on September 4, 2023 so that he can contribute to the repopulation of his species around the Lake Geneva basin.
We will then have the immense joy of being able to release him directly from this aviary on September 4, 2023 so that he can contribute to the repopulation of his species around the Lake Geneva basin.
Paulette feeding her little ones! ®Les AiglesduLeman
They are growing quickly and getting ready to leave the nest! ®Les AiglesduLeman
It's almost time for the big jump!
New step for Milandes on July 26, 2023: the installation of his identity ring and his GPS beacon to be able to follow him during the first years of his reintroduction. Milandes is still in good health!
Next step: the flight aviary!
The big jump!
On September 4, 2023, we went to Haute-Savoie to witness the release of Milandes and nine of his comrades.
As soon as the aviary opened, the white-tailed eagles took flight to our delight (flighted in less than two hours).
Equipped with its GPS beacon, we will be able to follow Milandes across borders. We wish him a long life full of adventures, encounters and love!
We will give you news of his journeys very soon!
In the meantime, our falconer present that day filmed its flight!”>In the meantime, our falconer present that day filmed its flight!
Towards new horizons!
That’s it, Milandes discovers the Alpine territory and thanks to his GPS beacon, we can follow his movements.
We therefore see that he likes to discover the landscapes around him and that he does not hesitate to make long journeys (more than 50km).
We hope that it will continue to explore the territory with the aim, one day, of returning to reproduce (in 5-6 years) where it was released.
We will give you news very soon!
Milandes, this traveler!
As the GPS track shows, Milandes headed southwest.
A priori, it avoids large metropolises and has moved significantly closer to the Atlantic.
He undertakes a perilous journey for a young eagle but he manages to feed regularly.
Will he visit us in the Dordogne or will he continue his journey towards the Atlantic Ocean? We will be sure to keep you informed!
But where is Milandes?
The latest news we had indicated the presence of Milandes in the Gers.
Milandes’ movements from October 8 to 14: Our eaglet is wandering in the countryside but we lost track of its tag at the end of the week. Technical or network problem?
From October 15 to 21: No trace of Milandes for a week, Les Aigles du Léman sent a person to the site who was unable to find the bird, nor was he able to obtain information about its presence from the neighbors. We hope that this is a problem with the beacon because it seems unlikely that the bird stayed a week in an area without a telephone network…
From October 22 to 28: Still no traces of Milandes, stopping the beacon seems the most plausible solution. Surveillance networks on site were alerted to find his trace. Given Milandes’ incredible moves since his reintroduction, it won’t be easy…
To date (14/11/2023), we still have not found Milandes. Two scenarios are possible:
The bird was shot and its tag destroyed. Given the location it’s not at all impossible. The only comforting element is that these beacons are designed to inform us of any abnormal elements (fall of the bird, position on its back, falling temperature, etc.) and there we had nothing.
The beacon has stopped working (this is rare but it is a technological tool and therefore possible). In this case, given its movements, it could be hundreds of km away and it will take a bit of luck before it is observed and the information comes back to us.
