[NatureNS] Re: Bald Eagles in NS

From: Ken McKenna <kenmcken@eastlink.ca>
Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2016 10:06:08 -0400
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I wonder Paul if the eagle is trying to steal a fish from the Merganser rath=
er than to try and take the merganser -unless you were speaking of small you=
ng mergansers. Interesting the male is observed being attacked most often.=20=

Cheers
Ken=20

Sent from my iPad


> On Feb 5, 2016, at 9:22 AM, "rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca" <rita.paul@ns.symp=
atico.ca> wrote:
>=20
> I never saw Eagles attack loon chicks Donna, seeing
> a loon chick is rare,  for me, so that is not to mean they don't
> just that I've never been in the area where it happened.
> Maybe someday and you'll be the first to know.
> But I've seen on a few times Eagles attacking Common Mergansers.
> Early in spring, when trout fishing is slow and there is lots of time
> to look around is when you see that. The Eagle concentrates on the male me=
rganser
> and will repeated sky dive at it and make the merganser dive under water.
> I never saw the eagle being successful however. It usually gives up after
> a time and flies of but maybe because the show got to close to me.
> Its always the male merganser they attack - I supposed it was because the e=
agle
> had been feeding on the white chickens all  winter and the nearly all whit=
e duck
> resembled a chicken. But that was only me!
> I had an interesting experience with a horned owl and a loon chick once
> also but that story will need wait!
> Enjoy the rain and the sleet and the snow and whatever!
> Paul=20
>> On February 4, 2016 at 11:04 PM Donna Crossland <dcrossland@eastlink.ca> w=
rote:=20
>>=20
>> It was timely to read Jim=E2=80=99s report on =E2=80=9CEagle Watch Weeken=
d 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 docu=
mentary on the Vancouver Bald Eagle population, which is soaring in numbers m=
ainly 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 supplemen=
tation.=20
>>=20
>> =20
>>=20
>> Our Annapolis Valley eagle population is food-supplemented from industria=
l poultry practices, as we are all aware.   What harm is there in that?  It h=
as generated tourism dollars, and it gets people out to see nature in the wi=
ntertime.  All wonderful.
>>=20
>> =20
>>=20
>> It now appears that the Common loon may be falling under new predation pr=
essures as this large and expanding NS eagle population finds new places to n=
est.  They seem to be increasingly pushed to less productive areas to nest, s=
uch 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 document=
ing notable increases in eagle sightings, including eye witness accounts of e=
agles attacking loon chicks.  One such story was reported to me again yester=
day from a lake near Caledonia.   Still another report came from Sandy Botto=
m Lake last September where an eagle repeatedly attacked a juvenile loon.  T=
he young loon was forced to continuously dive to avoid the attacks, but appa=
rently survived.  They stand much less chance when they are younger and cann=
ot dive for long periods.  Other loon chicks were not as fortunate last year=
.
>>=20
>> =20
>>=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 thresho=
ld to become =E2=80=98hyper-abundance=E2=80=99?    What would the carrying c=
apacity of winter eagles be in Kings County without poultry producers?  They=
 would presumably be focused on open-water food sources and the occasional f=
arm carcass.=20
>>=20
>> =20
>>=20
>> Having said this, Eagle Watch Weekends are positive natural history event=
s (though they could be carried out with fewer birds), and it is also import=
ant 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 p=
opulation counts.  (I=E2=80=99ll keep counting loons and we=E2=80=99ll conti=
nue to compare notes occasionally.)
>>=20
>> =20
>>=20
>> Meanwhile, my vote is for mandatory use of rendering plants (enforced by t=
he Dept of Agriculture and/or DNR) for safe disposal of poultry that has die=
d of questionable causes in those large =E2=80=98factory barns=E2=80=99.   A=
nd maybe eat more free-range, =E2=80=98happy=E2=80=99 chickens(?)
>>=20
>> =20
>>=20
>> Donna Crossland
>>=20
>> =20
>>=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
>> =20
>>=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 wo=
rthy question:
>>=20
>> =20
>>=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 eagle=
s, our breeding eagle population and any impacts on other wildlife as a resu=
lt.
>>=20
>> =20
>>=20
>> james.
>>=20
>> =20
>>=20
>> =20
>>=20
>> On Tue, Feb 2, 2016 at 5:56 PM, Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> wrot=
e:
>>=20
>> =20
>>=20
>> From: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
>>=20
>> Subject: report on SHEFFIELD MILLS EAGLE WATCH WEEKEND ONE (long)
>>=20
>> Date: February 2, 2016 at 4:55:30 PM AST
>>=20
>> To: Nature BNS <nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca>
>>=20
>> Cc: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
>>=20
>> =20
>>=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 perhap=
s 15 cm. of fresh snow on Sat. morning.  The fresh snow should have helped i=
n 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 b=
ust for the Eagle Watch (and Sunday wasn=E2=80=99t much better).=20
>>=20
>> =20
>>=20
>> As usual, on S