The information in this post is kinda wrong, actually. The map shows the routs of 22 different eagles, not one. And they had their gps-trackers attached to them in 2018, not 20 years ago. 20 years ago even computers were a rare thing in Russia, not speaking about such tracking technologies :D How do you imagine such a thing working for 20 years straight?? Besides that, those eagles are originally from Kazahstan, not Russia and those tracker marks simply show the migration of the birds for the winter time.

He definitely had his favorite routes, didn't he? But I wonder what land feature is there along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He only went there twice. Very cool item for someone to find.

Large birds, like eagles, storks, cranes, etc. would use too much energy flapping their wings all the way from the northern land masses to the southern in order to winter. They would have to do so to fly over seas, including the Caspian, Black, Mediterranean and Red. Instead, they find thermals -- sort of hot air cylinders that rise from the ground during the day. They use these to float, in spirals, until they reach the top of each one, sometimes hundreds of meters in the air, then glide down to catch the next one, and glide up again. In that way, they conserve energy, and are able to eat each evening, when they land. In some places, you'll see hundreds of large birds just circling throughout the migrating seasons. Quite a sight.

I just finished reading your article about the incredible journey of tracking an eagle's movements over twenty years, and I couldn't be more fascinated by the insights you shared. First of all, kudos to you for shedding light on the extraordinary work that researchers are doing to understand these majestic creatures better. Your writing really brought out the dedication and passion they have for conserving wildlife. I'm truly in awe of the way technology, particularly GPS tracking, is revolutionizing our understanding of nature. Also Read: Eagle Facts: Characteristics, Species, Lifespan & More

I was actually thinking if they detected the musty smell of salty air and avoided it mainly due to the reason that they only drink fresh water?

This comment has been deleted.

Pining to the fjords XDDD

These birds typically hunt the shallows and need a place to roost at night and to eat. You won't find those things int he middle of the open water.

The signal is marked by repeater towers. The sea avoidance is a product of this. They didn't avoid the water, instead the repeaters were on land with about a 30 mile range. That means the bird could have been up to 30 mile from the track.

Actually I think it is really possible that it track it for a long time, that black panel looks like solar battery. As for people questioning why it avoid country, it is actually avoiding cities because less food.

Do we know how it died?

so cooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

I'm curious about the 90 degree turns northwest of the Caspian Sea.

Off the top of my head, I can think of two possible reasons for avoiding the sea: (1) They wanted to be able eat, and they couldn't catch fish, and (2) they navigate by using landmarks, of which there are none at sea.

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

I know I may be slated for this, but I hate how we put these 'trackers' on everythi g living. Yes, I want to know stuff, but Really, find another way, and stop attaching techno stuff on tnem, often big and clumsy. Tnis poor eagle was wearing a tracker for 20 years !!! Wtf !!! Hope it doesn't wear it now. Poor bird.