[NatureNS] Re: Bald Eagles in NS

From: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2016 17:28:15 -0400
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To: naturens <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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I have lots of comments based on the popular dialogue that has sprung up =
on N.S. bald eagles, but for now I will just make a few.  Back when I =
arrived in N.S. in 1975, most of the province=92s bald eagles nested in =
Cape Breton along the shores of the Bras D=92Or Lake(s), especially =
where streams emptied into the =93lakes=94 and had runs of fishes for =
spawning like the smelts mentioned?  This core population of eagles was =
pretty free of the DDT problem, at least in the warm months, because of =
the lack of industrial agriculture in Cape Breton. =20

I found John=92s comment about eagles vs. ospreys to be very =
interesting.  There is a mine of information to be analyzed in the two =
Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlases that were done 20 years apart, both for =
the eagles and for ospreys.  The expansion of the eagle population and =
the growth in the nesting population were undoubtedly related to the =
increased winter survival of eagles via the artificial feeding of =
agricultural carrion.  I wonder what other factors were involved over =
the decades.

The history of our annual pseudoscientific counts of eagles and other =
raptors showed a huge increase in wintering numbers in the early 1990s, =
when over two years the total number jumped up by 300 birds!!  Since =
then the total numbers bounce around, up and down, probably for =
weather-related reasons, above and below an average of ca. 350-400 =
eagles in eastern King=92s County. =20

Again historically, back in the 1970s there were one or two bald eagle =
nests in the Black River Lake area, and a few more on hydroelectric =
reservoirs near Windsor.  But it was not until 1991 that we recorded a =
bald eagle nest locally in The Valley, at Noggins Farm in Greenwich.  =
Since then the nesting population has grown steadily, but we have no =
handle on numbers of nests, and that growth may have slowed or stopped =97=
 no data.  Also no data exist on what our nesting eagles are feeding =
their eaglets, although  eagles are excellent fishers and foragers for =
other stuff, mostly? dead?  I wonder how much agricultural carrion is =
available to the eagles and how many of them take advantage of such =97 =
here is a case for strict regulations from DNR and/or the organized =
poultry producers.

The last thing I will add here is again historical.  Regarding eagles =
vs. mergansers: Back in the 1970s, I learned from DNR + Peter =
Austin-Smith Sr. + Merritt Gibson that a concentration site for =
wintering bald eagles was the intertidal stretch of the lower =
Shubenacadie River, where tomcod spawn in winter months.  The tomcod in =
turn attract common mergansers in numbers.  The eagles learned that =
those adult (and immature) mergansers were easily hunted there when =
there was a lot of ice present with small areas of open water between  =
the floes.  It was full-size common mergansers, which are big birds, =
especially males, that were being hunted.  And I never heard about =
eagles going after the fish that the mergansers may have caught.

End of comments for now.=20

Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Laviolette, Lance" <lance.laviolette@lmco.com>
> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Re: Bald Eagles in NS
> Date: February 5, 2016 at 2:16:12 PM AST
> To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
>=20
> Hi Ken,
> =20
> In case you=92re worried about a size issue, Bald Eagles are capable =
of killing adult Canada Geese and Great Blue Herons (according to the =
literature) so an adult merganser or loon wouldn=92t be stretching it. =
As you know though, they are probably better scavengers or predators of =
sick and/or injured individuals then active hunters of healthy birds.
> =20
> I was surprised to read Donna=92s comments that their hunting pressure =
was driving loons off of NS lakes. If this is the case I guess that =
repeated attempts to capture a loon, even if they failed each time, =
would eventually cause a bird to move to a more friendly location.
> =20
> All the best,
> =20
> Lance
> =20
> =20
> =20
> On February 5, 2016 at 10:06 AM Ken McKenna <kenmcken@eastlink.ca> =
wrote:
>=20
> I wonder Paul if the eagle is trying to steal a fish from the =
Merganser rather than to try and take the merganser -unless you were =
speaking of small young mergansers. Interesting the male is observed =
being attacked most often.=20
> Cheers
> Ken =20
>=20
> Sent from my iPad =20


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<html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html =
charset=3Dwindows-1252"></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; =
-webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">I have =
lots of comments based on the popular dialogue that has sprung up on =
N.S. bald eagles, but for now I will just make a few. &nbsp;Back when I =
arrived in N.S. in 1975, most of the province=92s bald eagles nested in =
Cape Breton along the shores of the Bras D=92Or Lake(s), especially =
where streams emptied into the =93lakes=94 and had runs of fishes for =
spawning like the smelts mentioned? &nbsp;This core population of eagles =
was pretty free of the DDT problem, at least in the warm months, because =
of the lack of industrial agriculture in Cape Breton. =
&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>I found John=92s comment about eagles vs. =
ospreys to be very interesting. &nbsp;There is a mine of information to =
be analyzed in the two Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlases that were done 20 =
years apart, both for the eagles and for ospreys. &nbsp;The expansion of =
the eagle population and the growth in the nesting population were =
undoubtedly related to the increased winter survival of eagles via the =
artificial feeding of agricultural carrion. &nbsp;I wonder what other =
factors were involved over the decades.</div><div><br></div><div>The =
history of our annual pseudoscientific counts of eagles and other =
raptors showed a huge increase in wintering numbers in the early 1990s, =
when over two years the total number jumped up by 300 birds!! =
&nbsp;Since then the total numbers bounce around, up and down, probably =
for weather-related reasons, above and below an average of ca. 350-400 =
eagles in eastern King=92s County. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Again =
historically, back in the 1970s there were one or two bald eagle nests =
in the Black River Lake area, and a few more on hydroelectric reservoirs =
near Windsor. &nbsp;But it was not until 1991 that we recorded a bald =
eagle nest locally in The Valley, at Noggins Farm in Greenwich. =
&nbsp;Since then th