[NatureNS] Re: Bald Eagles in NS

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From: Helene Van Doninck <helene.birdvet@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2016 17:57:43 -0400
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&amp;nbsp;Since then th
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For what it's worth..as a veterinarian..I have concerns about disease
transmission, in both directions.

Helene

Helene Van Doninck DVM
Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
2220 Irwin Lake Rd Brookfield NS Canada B0N1C0
902-893-0253
helene.birdvet@gmail.com <birdvet@hotmail.com>
www.cwrc.net
Find us on Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cobequid-Wildlife-Rehabilitation-Centre/134=
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On Fri, Feb 5, 2016 at 5:28 PM, Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> wrote:

> 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=E2=80=99s bald eagles neste=
d in Cape
> Breton along the shores of the Bras D=E2=80=99Or Lake(s), especially wher=
e streams
> emptied into the =E2=80=9Clakes=E2=80=9D and had runs of fishes for spawn=
ing 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 industri=
al
> agriculture in Cape Breton.
>
> I found John=E2=80=99s comment about eagles vs. ospreys to be very intere=
sting.
> There is a mine of information to be analyzed in the two Maritimes Breedi=
ng
> 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-relate=
d
> reasons, above and below an average of ca. 350-400 eagles in eastern King=
=E2=80=99s
> County.
>
> 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 ba=
ld
> eagle nest locally in The Valley, at Noggins Farm in Greenwich.  Since th=
en
> the nesting population has grown steadily, but we have no handle on numbe=
rs
> of nests, and that growth may have slowed or stopped =E2=80=94 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 =E2=80=94 here is a case for strict r=
egulations
> 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 spaw=
n
> 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 m=
ay
> have caught.
>
> End of comments for now.
>
> 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
>
> Hi Ken,
>
> In case you=E2=80=99re worried about a size issue, Bald Eagles are capabl=
e of
> killing adult Canada Geese and Great Blue Herons (according to the
> literature) so an adult merganser or loon wouldn=E2=80=99t 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.
>
> I was surprised to read Donna=E2=80=99s comments that their hunting press=
ure 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 eventual=
ly
> cause a bird to move to a more friendly location.
>
> All the best,
>
> Lance
>
>
>
>
> On February 5, 2016 at 10:06 AM Ken McKenna <kenmcken@eastlink.ca> wrote:
> 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.
> Cheers
> Ken
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
>
>

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<div dir=3D"ltr">For what it&#39;s worth..as a veterinarian..I have concern=
s about disease transmission, in both directions.=C2=A0<div><br></div><div>=
Helene</div></div><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br clear=3D"all"><div><div cl=
ass=3D"gmail_signature"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div><div dir=3D"ltr"><div><div di=
r=3D"ltr"><div><div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Helene Van Doninck DVM<br>Cobequid Wil=
dlife Rehabilitation Centre<br></div><div>2220 Irwin Lake Rd Brookfield NS =
Canada B0N1C0<br>902-893-0253<br><a href=3D"mailto:birdvet@hotmail.com" tar=
get=3D"_blank">helene.birdvet@gmail.com</a><br><a href=3D"http://www.cwrc.n=
et" target=3D"_blank">www.cwrc.net</a><br></div><div><div><div>Find us on <=
a href=3D"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cobequid-Wildlife-Rehabilitation-C=
entre/134671693239334" target=3D"_blank">Facebook</a>=C2=A0and <a href=3D"h=
ttps://twitter.com/CobequiWildlife" target=3D"_blank">Twitter</a><br>&l