Delta2 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion Thread

[Darlene]

Some sad news from David Hancock! For some reason I couldn't upload his report so took a scap of the news!

[RoseA]

9:14am rollback, looks like someone is perched here in the stick tree.

[RoseA]

10:08am logging into the cams.

[RoseA]

10:11am the someone in the stick tree looks like a hawk.

[RoseA]

10:19pm someone perched to the right of where the tower eagles' tower is... not one of them as they both appear to be home.

[RoseA]

10:28am adult perched on top of the Right of Centre pole.

[RoseA]

10:44am eagle flying here but then behind the branches and metal frame, so out of view.

[RoseA]

11:02am was looking at the area to the right of the tower eagles... looked like one eagle, that turned out to be two, fly off their smaller tower. I then lost track of them... at least temporarily.

[RoseA]

11:03am an AE flies in from the left side of the screen... still one of the same two?... not sure. Then there are two again.

[RoseA]

11:03am still one of the pair flying around lands at the Far Right Tower, which is not Tower Eagle territory, but Ma's territory. So who are they...

11:09am they fly off the tower and further into Ma's territory, so likely not one of the tower eagles.

[RoseA]

11:22am logging off the cams.

[Linuxgw2]

Hello Delta,

My heart is broken for our youngster juvie who had been visiting on the nest for a couple days in the rain for comfort and food. And to imagine the pain this eagle must have been in and for how long he endured before he surcomed to his injury.
He was such a beauty to watch.

Darlene, thank you so much for going to the nest area looking for our youngster and for the update on this beautiful eagle posted from David H. ..
So heart broken of the outcome and our hearts can rest you found him and in his final days our Delta nest gave him a place to rest his tired soul and a good meal..He was guided by a higher power to find our Delta nest to take refuge in, in my heart I believe this.

I think we all knew in our hearts he would had a tough life..with only one foot sure would made it very difficult to survive in the wild on its own..Not the outcome we had wished for , but knew of his struggles. He is at peace..

Linuxgw2

[JudyB]

Hi folks.... As some of you know, the young eagle who spent a day resting in our nest did not survive, and was found dead under the nest yesterday. I wasn't able to get online earlier, so Darlene posted a screenshot of the main part of David Hancock's update (thanks, Darlene!). I'm going to post the entire update now, and possibly add a couple of comments of my own. David first:

D2 Update: Dec 28 2022

The morning started out well but with resolution of challenges around the farm. Then just after 10AM I get a call that Kathy is below D2 and can’t find the Juv that has flown or fallen during the night. I had been planning all night as to how to safely remove the Juv when it died. This seemed inevitable and I did not want this tragedy to create another.. I did not want its carcass left to discourage the adults from actually starting up in this new nest we had prepared for them. Now with Ma actually using the new nest the previous day as a feeding platform, and giving loud territorial calls from the nest, it seemed even more likely she might shift to nesting here. . At least now Juv has left on its own. Could it be found? Saved? Put out of it’s misery?

I headed out immediately to Delta. I checked below the nest and there was the dead Juv – very skinny and with what appears to be a “blown off’ foot -- probably by electrocution. It might well be severed by a trap or bitten off by a predator but both seemed less likely.

I immediately reported the dead Juv to our associate, Jack Evans of FLNRO, and arranged for the carcass to go for First Nations ceremonial use. Since I am going to a dinner that evening at fellow naturalists and Mike and Diana will be there I have decided to get Mike to bring his medical analysis skills and give the emaciated body a once over. Not sure how the rest of the party will take to this but possibly Mike and I can do our exam in a relatively private place – the back of my van! If we come to any conclusions I will let you know. Two more plan changes take place on the drive home.

The ugly images: On the right is the leg showing the blown off foot. Was the bird also suffering from Internal damage – if it was electrocuted. Often this does not readily show up externally. (JudyB here - I am not going to put the images in the post - I will add a link for those who wish to see them, and may not be able to do that for a couple of hours)

Additional note for the D2 site: Kathy noted that before I got there that 4 separate adults – presumably two pairs were present. Two adults went to the new Hydro Tower nest to the West and the other two stayed around watching us and our new nest. I could also see the HT pair to the North both on their tower. So who are these two extra adults? Of course the City of Delta has just over 80 active pairs, probably making this the city in the world hosting the largest number of bald eagles , so they may just be another pair from a nearby territory. Who knows. Maybe one of the 35,000 migrants who pass by annually were just checking out the ruckus or viewing the Gadwall duck dinner in the nest! . For those of you not familiar with the plethora of eagles in the lower Fraser that might all sound a little confusing -- actually it is!!

As I was writing this last sentence Jack Evans calls and has arranged to a young lady to pick up this Juv to put with others she is taking to a government storage site today. Sorry – Mike – no revaluation for you today. Maybe we will get a report back from FLNRO but I doubt their laboratory will have time for analysis. Another mystery largely unsolved.

Another positive note: I did check out 22 more nest site going an returning from this D2 visit. Nineteen had adult in the nest or above the nest. This is the most I have seen all fall but it was also the first half descent day in a couple of weeks so I suspect the territorial holders were finally getting to check up on how their nest had withstood the winter storms. A lot of the adults were busy repositioning branches. Quite rewarding. Given a chance nature rebuilds. Quite wonderful since humans continue to destroy.

Happy New Year.

David Hancock Dec 29


JudyB again - I need to leave again for a family event - will just end by sending light and love to help guide this beautiful young eagle on their journey over the rainbow bridge, where they can fly free and safe forever.

[Judy Benson]

I feel so badly for that little juvie soul..he is now in a safe warm place before heading for the Rainbow Bridge....fly free now little one.....

[Linuxgw2]

correction on my post earlier:

I misread the article posted and thought JudyB had found our eagle at the bottom of the nest, I misread and after rereading the full report reposted I stand corrected and thank David H. for going to the nest and finding our younster eagle at the bottom where he had passed on ..

He is Free and upon flying across the rainbow bridge he will soar in the Heavens for all his eternity, Free and wild to roam..

Linuxgw2