next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects
margin-botto
------=_Part_1816420_1127748095.1454600454552
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
=C2=A0Not sure if this has been mentioned: Mark Elderkin's thoughtful artic=
le (2014)
Eagles: Too much of a good thing?
www.chronicleheard.ca/thenovascotian/1201739-eagles-too-much-of-a-good-thi=
ng
From: John and Nhung <nhungjohn@eastlink.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
Sent: Thursday, February 4, 2016 11:30 AM
Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Bald Eagles in NS
=20
#yiv5294358511 #yiv5294358511 -- _filtered #yiv5294358511 {font-family:Helv=
etica;panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;} _filtered #yiv5294358511 {font-family=
:Helvetica;panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;} _filtered #yiv5294358511 {font-f=
amily:Calibri;panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;} _filtered #yiv5294358511 {fon=
t-family:Tahoma;panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}#yiv5294358511 #yiv529435851=
1 p.yiv5294358511MsoNormal, #yiv5294358511 li.yiv5294358511MsoNormal, #yiv5=
294358511 div.yiv5294358511MsoNormal {margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;font=
-size:12.0pt;}#yiv5294358511 a:link, #yiv5294358511 span.yiv5294358511MsoHy=
perlink {color:blue;text-decoration:underline;}#yiv5294358511 a:visited, #y=
iv5294358511 span.yiv5294358511MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple;text-deco=
ration:underline;}#yiv5294358511 p.yiv5294358511MsoAcetate, #yiv5294358511 =
li.yiv5294358511MsoAcetate, #yiv5294358511 div.yiv5294358511MsoAcetate {mar=
gin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:8.0pt;}#yiv5294358511 span.yiv52943=
58511BalloonTextChar {}#yiv5294358511 span.yiv5294358511EmailStyle19 {color=
:#1F497D;}#yiv5294358511 .yiv5294358511MsoChpDefault {} _filtered #yiv52943=
58511 {margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}#yiv5294358511 div.yiv5294358511=
WordSection1 {}#yiv5294358511 Down Yarmouth way, bald eagles have certainly=
become more common but not so ospreys, which are declining in numbers. =C2=
=A0Heard one birdwatcher who lives in Tusket (with a nice view of part of t=
he upper estuary) that he suspects the eagles of dining on osprey chicks. =
=C2=A0From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.n=
s.ca] On Behalf Of James Churchill
Sent: February 4, 2016 10:46 AM
To: naturens
Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Bald Eagles in NS =C2=A0Jim's comment below about a=
rtificial winter feeding of Bald Eagles (et al.) might have gone unnoticed =
at the end of his message there, but it is a worthy question: =C2=A0Lots ha=
s changed since Bald Eagle populations were low in the 70s, and it's worth =
evaluating (again) impacts of artificial feeding on wintering eagles, our b=
reeding eagle population and any impacts on other wildlife as a result. =C2=
=A0james. =C2=A0 =C2=A0On Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 5:56 PM, Jim Wolford <jimwolf=
ord@eastlink.ca> wrote: =C2=A0
From: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>Subject: report on SHEFFIELD MILL=
S EAGLE WATCH WEEKEND ONE (long)Date: February 2, 2016 at 4:55:30 PM ASTTo:=
Nature BNS <nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca>Cc: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@east=
link.ca> =C2=A0JAN. 30-31, 2016 [Sat.-Sun.] - SHEFFIELD MILLS EAGLE WATCH =
=E2=80=94 Both days had very mild temperatures, above +10 C., and light win=
ds, plus perhaps 15 cm. of fresh snow on Sat. morning.=C2=A0 The fresh snow=
should have helped in getting eagles to feeding locations, and conditions =
were great for gawkers to stand around and wait for action there, but Satur=
day was nearly a total bust for the Eagle Watch (and Sunday wasn=E2=80=99t =
much better).=C2=A0 =C2=A0As usual, on Sat. there were a few dozen cars at =
the feeding site at the north end of Middle Dyke Road, but the biggest numb=
er of bald eagles there was 11 (others may have seen more), and all they di=
d was sit in the trees with very little flying around and little or no goin=
g after the ample supply of cut-up large pieces of chicken carrion (the dai=
ly small proportion of the chicken-barn population that dies each night).=
=C2=A0 =C2=A0The landscape was gorgeous on Sat. morning, with all the new-f=
allen snow on the trees, bushes, and ground.=C2=A0 I=E2=80=99m sure that Fr=
i./Sat.=E2=80=99s snow deterred a lot of people from driving anywhere on Sa=
t.=C2=A0 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 perch=
ed together on Sunday). =C2=A0 =C2=A0Frustrated photographers on both days =
found other groups of perched eagles in other parts of eastern King=E2=80=
=99s County, where dead chickens are offered by other poultry producers, bu=
t all of this is no different this year.=C2=A0 Thus a certain amount of sea=
rching/driving around is necessary, plus revisiting sites.=C2=A0 =C2=A0I ca=
nnot explain the small numbers of eagles on Sat., nor their apparent lack o=
f hunger.=C2=A0 The carcasses on the ground were also not attracting the ra=
vens or crows or great black-backed gulls.=C2=A0 Some gulls and ravens were=
finally attracted on Sun. afternoon. =C2=A0Sunday was about the same at th=
e main site in the morning, with low numbers of perched eagles and no feedi=
ng activity by them, but now there were many, many more cars and gawkers an=
d quite a traffic jam (predictable).=C2=A0 Mostly there were only a dozen o=
r so eagles, but then in the afternoon a bunch more flew into the area, so =
that by 2 p.m. I counted at least 40 eagles, most of them perched in groups=
like ornaments in the trees.=C2=A0 Also by then there was a fair amount of=
flying back and forth across the big field.=C2=A0 I didn=E2=80=99t see any=
eagles grabbing food from the ground, but a few eagles in the trees had ca=
rcasses and were feeding.=C2=A0 One feeding eagle that was just west of the=
road attracted a lot of photographers who had to walk through the snow to =
approach it. =C2=A0Sunday was a much better day at the community hall in te=
rms of parked cars and breakfasts sold ($7 and I=E2=80=99m addicted to the =
blueberry sauce).=C2=A0 Upstairs in the hall, there was very little of inte=
rest =E2=80=94 just the usual displays from Acadia Biology & Blomidon Natur=
alists Society, plus Glenn Ells & BNS selling various books and calendars (=
the BNS calendar can now be gotten for $10, I think).=C2=A0 No videos, no c=
rafts nor photos for sale. =C2=A0Let=E2=80=99s all hope that the coming wee=
kend will be better for our usual behaviour of the hungry bald eagles and t=
he gawkers/photographers, many of whom come from long distances and contrib=
ute to the local culture and economy in lots of ways.=C2=A0 Find out more a=
bout what=E2=80=99s happening Feb. 6-7 on www.eaglens.ca . =C2=A0As Donna C=
rossland said in conversation earlier, maybe it=E2=80=99s finally time that=
we as a rural community confront some issues like the way our poultry is r=
aised as well as whether our local scavengers like bald eagles should be ar=
tificially provided with agricultural carrion?? =C2=A0Nova Scotia=E2=80=99s=
Dept. of Natural Resources has promised for decades to provide some real r=
egulations (as opposed to voluntary guidelin