[NatureNS] Re: Bald Eagles in NS

From: Donna Crossland <dcrossland@eastlink.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
References: <CADF8qtYhLDmOPmSVgV6L2qN7nuOh2MCi1graepOO0fini0V2Wg@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 04 Feb 2016 23:04:34 -0400
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It was timely to read Jim=E2=80=99s report on =E2=80=9CEagle Watch =
Weekend One=E2=80=9D (sounds like a movie title...American, of course) =
and James=E2=80=99 follow-up comments.  This evening I watched The =
Nature of Things documentary on the Vancouver Bald Eagle population, =
which is soaring in numbers mainly due to a large landfill and an =
expanding human population (but began a more modest recovery earlier on =
after the abandonment of DDT and changes in the earlier human customs of =
shooting them as ill-regarded =E2=80=98vermin=E2=80=99, not unlike the =
history of eagle persecution on the east coast).   My point is that =
their populations are soaring presently due to food supplementation. =20

=20

Our Annapolis Valley eagle population is food-supplemented from =
industrial poultry practices, as we are all aware.   What harm is there =
in that?  It has generated tourism dollars, and it gets people out to =
see nature in the wintertime.  All wonderful.

=20

It now appears that the Common loon may be falling under new predation =
pressures as this large and expanding NS eagle population finds new =
places to nest.  They seem to be increasingly pushed to less productive =
areas to nest, such as nutrient-poor lakes in southwest Nova Scotia.  =
(No scientific data to back this up, but it would make a good thesis.) =
Cottage owners are documenting notable increases in eagle sightings, =
including eye witness accounts of eagles attacking loon chicks.  One =
such story was reported to me again yesterday from a lake near =
Caledonia.   Still another report came from Sandy Bottom Lake last =
September where an eagle repeatedly attacked a juvenile loon.  The young =
loon was forced to continuously dive to avoid the attacks, but =
apparently survived.  They stand much less chance when they are younger =
and cannot dive for long periods.  Other loon chicks were not as =
fortunate last year.

=20

Where is the natural balance?   What is a =E2=80=98natural =
balance=E2=80=99 in this present day world?  When does population =
recovery cross the threshold to become =
=E2=80=98hyper-abundance=E2=80=99?    What would the carrying capacity =
of winter eagles be in Kings County without poultry producers?  They =
would presumably be focused on open-water food sources and the =
occasional farm carcass. =20

=20

Having said this, Eagle Watch Weekends are positive natural history =
events (though they could be carried out with fewer birds), and it is =
also important to continue to survey numbers (of both eagles and loons). =
 Thanks to Jim for taking a leadership role for so many years in eagle =
watches and eagle population counts.  (I=E2=80=99ll keep counting loons =
and we=E2=80=99ll continue to compare notes occasionally.)

=20

Meanwhile, my vote is for mandatory use of rendering plants (enforced by =
the Dept of Agriculture and/or DNR) for safe disposal of poultry that =
has died of questionable causes in those large =E2=80=98factory =
barns=E2=80=99.   And maybe eat more free-range, =E2=80=98happy=E2=80=99 =
chickens(?)

=20

Donna Crossland

=20

From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca =
[mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of James Churchill
Sent: February-04-16 10:46 AM
To: naturens
Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Bald Eagles in NS

=20

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:

=20

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.

=20

james.

=20

=20

On Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 5:56 PM, Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> =
wrote:

=20

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>

=20

JAN. 30-31, 2016 [Sat.-Sun.] - SHEFFIELD MILLS EAGLE WATCH =E2=80=94 =
Both days had very mild temperatures, above +10 C., and light winds, =
plus perhaps 15 cm. of fresh snow on Sat. morning.  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 Saturday was nearly a total bust for the Eagle Watch (and =
Sunday wasn=E2=80=99t much better).=20

=20

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 =
there 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).=20

=20

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). =20

=20

Frustrated 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, but all of this is no =
different this year.  Thus a certain amount of searching/driving around =
is necessary, plus revisiting sites.=20

=20

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.

=20

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 =
counted 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.  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.

=20

Sunday was a much better day at the community hall in terms of parked =
cars and