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--Apple-Mail-DF176EB2-2590-410F-A52A-40585C95AAD5 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Many share the view, myself included, that supplemental feeding of chicken c= arcasses to eagles causes harm. Eagle population increases lead to outright p= redation on young of other species as outlined below, threaten similar speci= es through habitat displacement (RT Hawks were mentioned by one person) and m= ight alter the behaviour and health of the Bald Eagle itself. Is it really n= ecessary to watch Bald Eagles attack one another over food for our enjoyment= ? There is plenty of dead stuff around for scavengers, like eagles, to feed o= n (road kill, unwanted parts after hunters dress their deer, small scale far= m remains etc). Industrial carcass feeding was OK(?) when eagle numbers wer= e small but is unnecessary now. An issue that needs some serious consideration.=20 Nancy Sent from my iPad > On Apr 15, 2018, at 11:28 AM, Donna Crossland <dcrossland@eastlink.ca> wro= te: >=20 > I am just re-reading some of the Nature NS exchanges. The ecological succ= ession of coastal island forests described by Lance is fascinating. I am re= minded of a recent discussion with Dr Malcolm Hunter. He asked about our ea= gle populations. It seems that they are growing all over the eastern seaboa= rd and this has lead to the disappearance of entire heron colonies in the US= . I understand this is occurring here also to some extent. I shared with h= im the impacts the eagle populations seem to be having on loon chicks recent= ly. >=20 > It's all about balance. Industrial farming and other human-caused stresso= rs, knock ecosystem components out of kilter, but there are some ways to min= imize our impacts if we want to address the issues. Rendering plants for po= ultry carcasses is one easy fix. Are the cormorants partly filling a niche t= hat is being vacated by declining heron populations? (I'm a 'forest dweller= ', so I am less familiar with our coastal dynamics.) > Donna Crossland >=20 >> On 2018-03-29 12:26 PM, Laviolette, Lance wrote: >> Hi Everyone, >> =20 >> That=E2=80=99s the usual cycle of Great Blue Heron and Double-creasted Co= rmorant nesting on Nova Scotia Islands. >> =20 >> Grass > Brambles> Shrubs > Trees > double-crested cormorants/great blue h= erons > Trees > Shrubs/brambles > Grass >> =20 >> Guano is a great fertilizer, rich in nitrogen, phosphate and potassium, b= ut like any fertilizer, too much is not a good thing and as everyone who has= visited a cormorant or great blue heron colony knows, they produce a lot of= guano. >> =20 >> The Great Blue Herons move to start the process on another treed island o= nce the trees are all killed and can no longer support a nest structure (alt= hough I did come across Great Blue Herons nesting on an island in a lake in Y= armouth County once). >> =20 >> The Grass stage is prolonged as long as gulls and/or the cormorants start= nesting on the ground. Common Eiders can be in the mix at several stages. >> =20 >> The Grass stage ends and plant succession begins when these ground nestin= g species are forced to move off the island and erosion hasn=E2=80=99t reduc= ed the island to mostly bare rock. >> =20 >> Cheers, >> =20 >> Lance >> =20 >> Lance Laviolette >> Glen Robertson, Ontario >> =20 >> =20 >> =20 >> From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca= ] On Behalf Of John and Nhung >> Sent: March 29, 2018 10:36 AM >> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >> Subject: EXTERNAL: RE: [NatureNS] Cormorants and Great Blues >> =20 >> Here=E2=80=99s s story from before your time, John K.!=20 >> =20 >> Years ago, the island in mid-Yarmouth Harbour was well-treed. Mighta bee= n back in the =E2=80=9970=E2=80=99s that cormorants started to get more abun= dant and really liked that island. Lotsa bushes on the island now; all the s= pruce trees died out. >> =20 >> From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca= ] On Behalf Of Nick Hill >> Sent: March 29, 2018 10:21 AM >> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Cormorants and Great Blues >> =20 >> John, are double-crested cormorants becoming a disturbance and habitat en= richment problem here in NS..similar in a way to herring gulls? >> Nick >> =20 >> On Thu, Mar 29, 2018 at 10:02 AM, John Kearney <john.kearney@ns.sympatico= .ca> wrote: >> Hi All, >> Two Double-crested Cormorants and six Great Blue Herons arrived at the Jo= hns Island nesting colony in Yarmouth Harbour this morning. There seemed to b= e more cormorants crouching in grass, perhaps recovering from their journey.= I couldn=E2=80=99t tell for sure. >> None of these were there yesterday when I checked. >> John >>=20 >> Sent from my iPhone >>=20 >>=20 >> =20 >> -- >> Dr. N.M.Hill >> Fern Hill Institute of Plant Conservation >> 424 Bentley Road, Berwick, NS, B0P 1E0 >>=20 >> phone 902-698-0416 >=20 >=20 >=20 > =09 > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.=20 > www.avast.com >=20 >=20 --Apple-Mail-DF176EB2-2590-410F-A52A-40585C95AAD5 Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3D= utf-8"></head><body dir=3D"auto"><div>Many share the view, myself included, t= hat supplemental feeding of chicken carcasses to eagles causes harm. Eagle p= opulation increases lead to outright predation on young of other species as o= utlined below, threaten similar species through habitat displacement (RT Haw= ks were mentioned by one person) and might alter the behaviour and health of= the Bald Eagle itself. Is it really necessary to watch Bald Eagles attack o= ne another over food for our enjoyment? There is plenty of dead stuff around= for scavengers, like eagles, to feed on (road kill, unwanted parts after hu= nters dress their deer, small scale farm remains etc). Industrial carc= ass feeding was OK(?) when eagle numbers were small but is unnecessary now.<= /div><div><br></div><div>An issue that needs some serious consideration.&nbs= p;<br><div><br></div><div>Nancy<br><br><div id=3D"AppleMailSignature">Sent f= rom my iPad</div><div><br>On Apr 15, 2018, at 11:28 AM, Donna Crossland <= dcrossland@eastlink.ca> wro= te:<br><br></div><blockquote