next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
--001a114314dc260627052af2cd3d Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Jim's comment below about artificial winter feeding of Bald Eagles (et al.) might have gone unnoticed at the end of his message there, but it is a worthy question: Lots has changed since Bald Eagle populations were low in the 70s, and it's worth evaluating (again) impacts of artificial feeding on wintering eagles, our breeding eagle population and any impacts on other wildlife as a result= . james. On Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 5:56 PM, Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> wrote: > > *From: *Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> > *Subject: **report on SHEFFIELD MILLS EAGLE WATCH WEEKEND ONE (long)* > *Date: *February 2, 2016 at 4:55:30 PM AST > *To: *Nature BNS <nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca> > *Cc: *Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> > > *JAN. 30-31, 2016 [Sat.-Sun.] - SHEFFIELD MILLS EAGLE WATCH* =E2=80=94 Bo= th days > had very mild temperatures, above +10 C., and light winds, plus perhaps 1= 5 > cm. of fresh snow on Sat. morning. The fresh snow should have helped in > getting eagles to feeding locations, and conditions were great for gawker= s > to stand around and wait for action there, but Saturday was nearly a tota= l > bust for the Eagle Watch (and Sunday wasn=E2=80=99t much better). > > As usual, on Sat. there were a few dozen cars at the feeding site at the > north end of Middle Dyke Road, but the biggest number of bald eagles ther= e > was 11 (others may have seen more), and all they did was sit in the trees > with very little flying around and little or no going after the ample > supply of cut-up large pieces of chicken carrion (the daily small > proportion of the chicken-barn population that dies each night). > > The landscape was gorgeous on Sat. morning, with all the new-fallen snow > on the trees, bushes, and ground. I=E2=80=99m sure that Fri./Sat.=E2=80= =99s snow deterred > a lot of people from driving anywhere on Sat. On my way out to Sheffield > Mills, I saw 8+ eagles at Church St. & Hwy. 358, and another 6 at Saxon > Street Pond (where there were 18 all perched together on Sunday). > > Frustrated photographers on both days found other groups of perched eagle= s > in other parts of eastern King=E2=80=99s County, where dead chickens are = offered by > other poultry producers, but all of this is no different this year. Thus= a > certain amount of searching/driving around is necessary, plus revisiting > sites. > > I cannot explain the small numbers of eagles on Sat., nor their apparent > lack of hunger. The carcasses on the ground were also not attracting the > ravens or crows or great black-backed gulls. Some gulls and ravens were > finally attracted on Sun. afternoon. > > Sunday was about the same at the main site in the morning, with low > numbers of perched eagles and no feeding activity by them, but now there > were many, many more cars and gawkers and quite a traffic jam > (predictable). Mostly there were only a dozen or so eagles, but then in > the afternoon a bunch more flew into the area, so that by 2 p.m. I counte= d *at > least 40 eagles*, most of them perched in groups like ornaments in the > trees. Also by then there was a fair amount of flying back and forth > across the big field. I didn=E2=80=99t see any eagles grabbing food from= the > ground, but a few eagles in the trees had carcasses and were feeding. On= e > feeding eagle that was just west of the road attracted a lot of > photographers who had to walk through the snow to approach it. > > Sunday was a much better day at the community hall in terms of parked car= s > and breakfasts sold ($7 and I=E2=80=99m addicted to the blueberry sauce).= Upstairs > in the hall, there was very little of interest =E2=80=94 just the usual d= isplays > from Acadia Biology & Blomidon Naturalists Society, plus Glenn Ells & BNS > selling various books and calendars (the BNS calendar can now be gotten f= or > $10, I think). No videos, no crafts nor photos for sale. > > *Let=E2=80=99s all hope that the coming weekend will be better* for our u= sual > behaviour of the hungry bald eagles and the gawkers/photographers, many o= f > whom come from long distances and contribute to the local culture and > economy in lots of ways. Find out more about what=E2=80=99s happening Fe= b. 6-7 on *www.eaglens.ca > <http://www.eaglens.ca/>* . > > As Donna Crossland said in conversation earlier, maybe it=E2=80=99s final= ly time > that we as a rural community confront some issues like the way our poultr= y > is raised as well as whether our local scavengers like bald eagles should > be artificially provided with agricultural carrion?? > > Nova Scotia=E2=80=99s Dept. of Natural Resources has promised for decades= to > provide some real regulations (as opposed to voluntary guidelines) for th= is > artificial feeding of wildlife. To my knowledge, there have been only tw= o > of our local poultry farmers, Matt Harvie and the late Bill Swetnam (and > now his two sons), who took it upon themselves to move their feeding spot= s > well away from their farm buildings. > =E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94= =E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94 > Cheers from Jim in Wolfville. > > > --=20 James Churchill Kentville, Nova Scotia jameslchurchill@gmail.com --001a114314dc260627052af2cd3d Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr">Jim's comment below about artificial winter feeding of= Bald Eagles (et al.) might have gone unnoticed at the end of his message t= here, but it is a worthy question:<div><br></div><div>Lots has changed sinc= e Bald Eagle populations were low in the 70s, and it's worth evaluating= (again) impacts of artificial feeding on wintering eagles, our breeding ea= gle population and any impacts on other wildlife as a result.</div><div><br= ></div><div>james.<br><div><br><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><div class=3D= "gmail_quote">On Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 5:56 PM, Jim Wolford <span dir=3D"ltr"= ><<a href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca" target=3D"_blank">jimwolford= @eastlink.ca</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" sty= le=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div s= tyle=3D"word-wrap:break-word"><div><div><br></div><blockquote type=3D"cite"= ><div style=3D"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-lef= t:0px"><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';color:rgba(0,0,0,1.0)= "><b>From: </b></span><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica'">Jim W= olford <<a href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca" target=3D"_blank">jimw= olford