Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Camera discussion for the Surrey Reserve nest in Surrey, British Columbia

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Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by gemini » Sat Sep 18, 2021 8:58 pm

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The Surrey Reserve Discussion Forum

Welcome to the 2021-2022 Eagle Nesting Season

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This Nest is in the Pacific Time Zone

The Surrey Reserve and Nest:

The Surrey Reserve bald eagle nest was built in late August 2018 to replace one that fell down a couple of years ago. It is located in the first bald eagle reserve in British Columbia, land set aside by an agreement between the city of Surrey and developers Dawson & Sawyer to guarantee space for eagles to nest while adjacent land was cleared for a housing development (read the full story here).

The Reserve is on the southern edge of the city of Surrey, in close proximity to the Semiahmoo Bay eagle fishing habitat and not that far from the home of the Hancock Wildlife Foundation. It is now surrounded by townhomes but the nest itself is about 90 feet above the ground in a cottonwood tree, nestled amongst the trees included on the Reserve.

The Nest Tree
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Semiahmoo Bay eagle fishing habitat
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Map of Surrey Reserve area - The X is approximately where the nest is.
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Map Courtesy of the City of Surrey Online Mapping System,
and is open data which may be republished without restriction.


The Cameras:

There are two powerful pan-tilt-zoom cams in place to watch the nest, one overhead and the other in a tree about 35 feet away that allows us to see the eagles come and go from the nest. Both have sound and night vision (not visible to the eagles).

North Cam View
North Cam view .jpg
South Cam View
South Cam view.jpg
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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by gemini » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:01 pm

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Disclaimer by JudyB - as of November 30, it appears to me that a new male is in the process of replacing Sur as the resident male at Surrey Reserve; most of the comments in the timeline are mine, and I will update them if/as new information becomes available. It has been very hard knowing for sure who is who, especially since many of the visits were while the cam was in grayscale, making it harder to see the skin under Sur's right eye or the black spots on his upper tail, which I rely on to identify him.


Notable Dates 2021-2022 Season:

Adults returned: Res - September 25, 7:00 pm; Sur - October 5, 6:35 pm

Last closeups of Sur on the nest: November 11, 10:25 am

First Observation of intruder on the nest: November 11, 2:20 pm

Confrontations: Two adults were flying at each other on/around the nest three or four times that we saw on November 12; at the time we weren't sure if the intruder was male or female (or even if there was more than one), but now believe the fights were between Sur and a male intruder.

Last confirmed sighting of Sur (as of November 29): November 12
- I (JudyB) am very certain that Sur was one of the eagles fighting on November 12 and while there were a few times that we saw Res and another adult perched together at night in places where Res and Sur perched (November 19, 6:47 am, November 21, 6:55 am), I have not been able to see any ID marks to confirm that Sur was still in the area after November 12, much as I wish I could.
- Please see What Happened to Sur further down on this page for more details.

Res and intruder at the nest: November 16, 5:36 pm
- Res was on little perch while intruder arrived and did some work on the nest; we initially suspected it was two intruders, then thought it might be Res and Sur, but I (JudyB again) now believe the female was Res and the male was the intruder we'd been seeing

Intruder/Possible New Male brings food to nest and Res claims it: November 21, 3:23 pm

Last confirmed sighting of Res (as of January 2): December 23, 4:46 pm
- Please see What Happened to Res further down on this page for more details.

Female who is not Res seen on nest: December 31, 12:05 pm

Eggs laid:

Pip Seen:

Eggs hatched:

Eaglets named:

First branched:

Fledged:

Eaglets last seen:

Adults last seen: SM - August 3; SF - August 9, 5:14 pm

Cam maintenance: none in 2022


Useful LInks:
Surrey Reserve Cams
2020-2021 Discussion Thread
2019-2020 Discussion Thead
2018-2019 Discussion Thread
Surrey Reserve Video Library
Annual nest summary in brief
Fall 2021 Cam Cleaning
Background article about the nest and the cam
Reports and Photos from Ground Observers
Hancock Wildlife forum member's DICTION-AERIE
Surrey Weather Now


Nest Adoptions for 2021/2022 are now available!

In the 2022 nesting season (September 2021-August 2022) this nest has been adopted by:


~ Irish Eyes
~ gemini
~ Charlie Ipcar
~ JudyB
~ CC aka CC398


Previous Year's Adoptions

2013 - 2021

You too can honor your favorite fine feathered family
and support the work of Hancock Wildlife by adopting the
HWF nest of your choice.

Click HERE to see how!
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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by gemini » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:26 pm

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IDing The Eagles:

The resident pair, aptly named Res (the female) and Sur (the male) are not easy to tell apart. However, each has his/her own distinctive traits, some permanent and some possibly only temporary, that help to identify which eagle we are looking at.

Permanent Differences:

Res (left) is bigger than Sur
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The black dots on the iris are permanent (Res on left)

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We hope to get scaps of their other eye this season.


Other differences:

Keeping in mind that any feathering differences can disappear as feathers are molted, here are some of the differences noted during the past season. With any luck at all at least one, if not all, will be there when they return from migration.

NOTE: Another season has come and gone and the below identifying features were still relevant when our adults left on migration. And although Res' tuft was difficult to see for a couple of months (probably due to molting of the wayward feather - see note in red below) by the time she left on migration the "tuft" was beginning to become more pronounced once again.


Sur's neckline (left) is more ragged and has one or two wayward feathers below the neckline; Res has a more rounded collar and a little tuft of feathers that sometimes seems to stick up on the top of her head, which appears as a shadow or gray spot at times.
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Res (left) has more white feathering and less yellow skin around the eyes; Sur has some dark feathers and more yellow skin around the eyes giving the eye area a darker appearance;
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Res (left) has little to no markings on her upper tail; Sur has black spots and a short tail feather on the left side of his tail;
Tails, 2021.jpg

David Hancock has put forth the explanation of a possible permanent scar located on Res' head probably acquired during an altercation with another eagle. This has resulted in a feather growing in at an angle causing what we call a "tuft" or "cowlick" on her head and accounts for any new feather growing in the same way again after a molt.
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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by gemini » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:35 pm

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The Surrey Reserve Nest - A Brief Yearly Summary:

2018-2019 The first year the Surrey pair, Res (female) and Sur (male ) were featured on live cam. As we waited with baited breath first one, then the other, and finally both appeared on the new nest, built in late August 2018 by the HWF to replace one that fell down a couple of years ago, and finally some showed interest in the nest by moving some sticks. And the rest is history.

Res and Sur went on to produce two chicks this season, named Dee and Ess. Other than Res seriously injuring her right leg (which fortunately eventually healed) followed shortly after by Sur doing the same thing (his also healed!) the season was uneventful. Dee and Ess moved through the eaglet growth stages normally with Dee fledging on July 5 and Ess on July 8. Sur was the last to be seen in the nest area on July 26. (Full season details here)


2019-2020 Res and Sur arrived back from their annual migration September 25 and 28 respectively. They had two chicks this season, named Thor and Loki by local residents. All went well until Loki, the first to fledge (June 28), had an encounter with a power line just 3 days later. Fortunately she (gender determined by her weight) was rescued by OWL and after being observed for a couple of weeks, it was determined she had not suffered any permanent injury and she was released in Peace Arch Park close to her nest area. Loki's rescue and release details here and here. Thor fledged successfully just 2 hours after h/her sibling on the same day.

Loki was last seen July 17 after her release by OWL and Thor on July 16 - an eaglet that may or may not have been Thor visited the nest briefly on July 19. Both adults were last seen on Aug 14. Full season details here.

NOTE: Loki was fitted with a tracker before her release. Her travels can be followed here.


2020-2021 Sur was the first to show up at the nest this season putting in a brief appearance on Sept 25th. Res, however, extended her vacation another 6 days not arriving back to the nest until Oct 2nd. Over the next 5 months they both worked on nestorating the nest, bringing in sticks for the protective wall around the outside edge of the nest and soft materials to line a nest bowl in preparation for their anticipated family.

Eggs were produced early this year, the first on Feb 24th and the second the usual 3 days later, on the 27th. Egg number one hatched on April 3rd and the second just under a day and a half later. Even though they were close in age, Tiku was by far the dominant eaglet keeping Tucca, the younger chick, in submission much of the time when food arrived. (Chick names courtesy of the students from ÉÉC Saint-Joseph in Port Colborne, ON.) Tucca learned quickly it was best to wait until his sibling had his fill before coming to the table. (Due to their size once fully grown, David Hancock believed both eaglets were male.) This worked well until there was a food shortage and there just wasn’t very much left over for Tucca. But even though he was only about half the size of his dominant brother, Tucca hung in there learning to out maneuver Tiku and eventually catching up to Tiku to the point where we had difficulty telling them apart. Other than the food problem, Tiku and Tucca had a typical eaglethood, growing into beautiful strong eaglets.

Tiku and Tucca both “fludged” (accidently fledged) when Tiku, while attempting to fly to a small perching branch that Tucca was sitting on, crashed into Tucca knocking them both off, Tiku onto a lower branch with a relatively clear path and Tucca into a thicket of branches and leaves below the nest where he remained stuck for 2 days. Both parents were in quick attendance watching out for their chicks. Tiku managed to find his way back to the nest the next day but Tucca didn’t get out of the tangle of branches and leaves for two days and spent another two days improving his flying skills enough to get back to the nest. Once back, Tiku and Tucca resumed their life as newly fledged eaglets, coming and going, improving their flying skills and building up their strength until first one and then the other left to follow the salmon runs up north. Tiku was last seen on July 14th and Tucca July 19th. Res and Sur hung around for another couple of days until they were sure their eaglets had left. Both were last seen on July 22nd. Full Season details and relevant links here.
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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by gemini » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:40 pm

2021-2022 Surrey Reserve Video Library

Video Title (Link), Video Length, Date Video Recorded/Posted (Link)

Res is home from her summer holiday! - (2:38) -Sept 25,2021
Res checks out the nest! (3:24) - Sept 30, 2021
Sur and Res inspect their nest! - (5:16)b - Oct 5, 2021
Sur giving the nest one last visit before calling it a night! - (4:04) - Oct 7, 2021
Nestorations and a cunning manipulation by Mom! - (7:11) - Oct 10, 2021
Eagle leaving the perch tree - (0:42) - Oct 14, 2021
Res and Sur nestorating together! - (4:02) - Oct 16, 2021
Res can't decide where to place her stick! (2:15) - Oct 20, 2021
Res can't stay away - too much to do! - (4:02) - Oct 20, 2021
Res a bit pushy this evening! - (:30) - Oct 22, 2021
One last stick and an inspection by Sur! - (4:08) - Oct 26, 2021
Sur and Res visit the nest to work on the nest bowl - (3:24) - Nov 8, 2021
Visitor or Bad Feather Day? - North first, then South - (7:52) - Nov 11, 2021
Closer Look - (1:30) - Nov 11, 2021
A Bit of Conflict at Surrey Reserve? - (1:30) - Nov 12, 2021
An intruder eagle lands in the Surrey nest again but it didn't go over too well! - N. Cam - (1:19) - Nov 12, 2021
An intruder eagle lands in the Surrey nest yet again - South cam (2:54) - Nov 12, 2021
Dust-Up at Surrey Reserve - (:55) - Nov 12, 2021
Dust-Up in Slow Motion - (:23 - Nov 12, 2021
An intruder eagle lands in the Surrey nest......N. Cam - SloMo - (2:34) - Nov 12, 2021
An intruder eagle lands in the Surrey nest......S. Cam - SloMo - (2:45) - Nov 12, 2021
Res objects to the intruder on her nest! Part 1, North cam (4:35) - Nov 17,2021
Res objects to the intruder on her nest! Part 2, South cam (4:13) - Nov 17,2021
Male Intruder Brings Food for Res - North Cam (10:03) - Nov 21, 2021
Male Intruder Brings Food for Res - South Cam (11:58) - Nov 21, 2021
Intruder Finishes Leftovers (5:13) - Nov 22, 2021
Res not happy with the intruder - tries to push him off the nest! (2:14) - Nov 23,2021
Is Res reluctantly beginning to accept the intruder? (4:17) - Nov 24, 2021
Discussion Over Food (1:03) Nov 29, 2021
Res visits the nest, intruder follows her and muscles her out of the nest bowl. (2:42) - Nov 29, 2021
Res Lets New Male Know Who's the Boss (2:42) - Dec 1, 2021
Res and Intruder work on the nest - A peek at things to come??? (2:50) - Dec 4, 2021
Disturbance on the nest at 3:40 am! (2:00) - Dec 7, 2021
Res is attacked on her night perch! (7:00) - Dec 8, 2021
A short visit to the nest by a hopeful suitor! (1:58) - Dec 12, 2021
Res and intruder vie for leftovers on the nest! North Cam (4:42) - Dec 13, 2021
Res and intruder vie for leftovers on the nest! South Cam (4:40) - Dec 13, 2021
Res steals the intruder's meal! (4:06) - Dec 16, 2021
Res wins as she and intruder jockey for nest bowl position! (4:48) - Dec 20, 201
Intruder helps himself to dinner! (1:05) - Dec 22, 2021
Early Morning Visit - South Cam (4:30) - Dec 23, 2021
Quick morning check of the nest (:36) - Dec 28, 2021
A visit later to make sure nothing has changed! (3:07) - Dec 28, 2021
Two visits - two eagles?? (3:38) - Dec 29, 2021
Chase at Surrey Reserve (:38) - Jan 2, 2022
Possible New Pair - South - part 1 (4:43) - Jan2, 2022
Possible New Pair - South - part 2 (9:39) - Jan 2, 2022
Possible New Pair - North (4:33) - Jan2, 2022
Steal by the New Male or hip/wing check by the New Female? (:28) - Jan 3, 2022
New Male back for another round - North Cam (2:09) - Jan 3, 2022
New Male stays back for another round - South Cam (4:03) - Jan 3, 2022
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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by gemini » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:40 pm

2021-2022 Surrey Reserve Video Library (Cont'd)

Video Title (Link)
Video Length
Date Video Posted (Link)
- For the most part videos are recorded within 24 hours of the posting date. (see video for actual recording date). Clicking the date takes you to the post where you can find more information regarding the event.


Major disagreements between New Male and New Female over Food! - Part 1 (3:10) - Jan 5, 2022
Major disagreements between New Male and New Female over Food! - Part 2 (3:22) - Jan 5, 2022
The chase! (3:22) - Jan 5, 2022
New Male and current female visit the nest (3:32) - Jan 5, 2022
Possible New Pair Visits - North and South cams (6:21) - Jan 7, 2022
Surrey Reserve Eagle Shows Visitor the Door (:10) - Jan 9, 2022
Quiet Visit (4:22) - Jan 10, 2022
Home for the Night - North & South cams (4:10) - Jan 12, 2022
A Bit of Action at Surrey Reserve (1:54) - Jan 13, 2022
Romance in the Air? (1:00) - Jan 13, 2022
A Bump in the Night? (2:29) - Jan 13,2022
Eagle Missing Tail Feathers (9:47) - Jan 14, 2022
Tailless eagle visits Surrey Reserve! (6:09) - Jan 14, 2022
A closer look at the New Female (10:31) - Jan 15, 2022]
A closer look at the New Male (7:32) - Jan 15, 2022]
A Quick Visit (1:58) - Jan 19, 2022
The New Eagles are Becoming a Pair (1:29) - Jan 22, 2022
Busy Night at Surrey Reserve - Part 1 (5:53) - Jan 24, 2022
Busy Night at Surrey Reserve - Part 2 (6:25) - Jan 24, 2022
Busy Night at Surrey Reserve - Part 3 (8:00) - Jan 24, 2022
A Quick Chase (1:08) - Jan 26, 2022
Getting Acquainted at Surrey Reserve, Part 1 - South (7:32) - Jan 27, 2022
Getting Acquainted at Surrey Reserve, Part 2 - North (10:01) - Jan 27, 2022
Getting Acquainted at Surrey Reserve, Part 3 - South (6:10) - Jan 27, 2022
Hands Off My Dinner! (3:20) - Jan 29, 2022
Mating in the Wind (1:27) - Feb 1, 2022
Sharing a Meal - North cam (7:00) - Feb 1, 2022
Sharing a Meal - South cam (6:11) Feb 1,2022
It's My Turn! (1:58) - Feb 8, 2022
Planning for Little Eagles? (1:00) - Feb 8, 2022
3:07 am - First of three early morning visits to the nest (1:11) - Feb 9, 2022
4:10 am - Second of three early morning visits to the nest - (3:36) - Feb 9, 2022
4:44 am - Third of three early morning visits to the nest (4:26) - Feb 9, 2022
Rude Awakening (:45) - Feb 10, 2022
Hidden Romance (:46) - Feb 15, 2022
Close Look at Head and Eyes - North & South (7:02) - Feb 18, 2022
One Male Too Many - North & South (2:56) - Feb 18, 2022
A Different Female? - South 6:19) Feb 18, 2022
Original New Female Returns-(Maybe) - South (3:00) - Feb 18, 2022
Who's Got the Dinner? - South then North (2:43) - Feb 18, 2022
Who Is Who? - South (7:37) - Feb 19, 2022
Quick Look at Feathers - North (:34) - Feb 19, 2022
One Eagle Too Many (1:33) - Feb 22,2022
Getting Acquainted (1:57) - Feb 26, 2022
Close-Ups of the Sub-Adult (3:27) - Feb 26, 2022
Close-Ups of the New Male (1:56) - Feb 26, 2022
Sub-Adult Flying with New Male (1:38) - Feb 26, 2022
Eagles in Flight (:57) - Feb 27, 2022
Late night visit to the nest from the NF? (5:49) - Feb 27, 2022
A very early morning visit! (4:27) - Feb 27, 2022
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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by gemini » Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:40 pm

2021-2022 Surrey Reserve Video Library (Cont'd)

Video Title (Link)
Video Length
Date Video Posted (Link)
- For the most part videos are recorded within 24 hours of the posting date. (see video for actual recording date). Clicking the date takes you to the post where you can find more information regarding the event.

Two Eagles - North Cam (7:02) - Mar 12, 2022
Two Eagles - South Cam (6:57) - Mar 12, 2022
Closer Look at Sub-Adult (7:00) - Mar 13, 2022
Three Eagles in the Nest Tree (6:41) - Mar 14, 2022
Food Delivery (:50) - Mar 14, 2022
Early morning disturbance of some kind?? Part 1, North cam (7:29) - Mar 15, 2022
Early morning disturbance of some kind?? Part 2, South cam (10:31) - Mar 15, 2022
The disturbance in slow motion (:49) - Mar 15, 2022
Food Delivery (:50) - Mar 15, 2022
Two eagles in a world of their own! (1:09) - Mar 16, 2022
Eagle defends nest from intruder! (North and South) (3:47) - Mar 20, 2022
Quick visit to the nest before settling for the night! (1:39) - Mar 21, 2022
Now you see me, now you don't - twice! N & S cams (3:33) - Mar 22, 2022
Serious Grooming (7:32) - Mar 22, 2022
Serious discussion - by NM and NF???? (6:40) - Mar 28, 2022
Disturbance in the night! (2:14) - Mar 28, 2022
NF Chases Off a Visitor - North cam (6:09) - Apr 4, 2022
NF Chases Off a Visitor - South cam (7:17) - Apr 4, 2022
Checking for Leftovers - North cam (7:56) - Apr 4, 2022
Checking for Leftovers - South cam (7:52) - Apr 4, 2022
Flying Food Delivery (1:55) - Apr 5, 2022
Juvie Tries to Grab NF's Meal (plus slo-mo) (2:00) - Apr 6, 2022
Food Fight at Surrey Reserve with Slow Motion - North cam - (2:24) - Apr 7, 2022
Food Fight at Surrey Reserve and What Happened Next - both cams (7:18) - Apr 7, 2022
Evening Visits (4:18) - Apr 8, 2022
Quick in and out visit to the nest (1:17) - Apr 10, 2022
Three Adults in Motion - both cams (1:15) - Apr 10, 2022
Another quickie evening visit! (:56) - Apr 11, 2022
Morning at Surrey Reserve (6:51) - May 5, 2022
Young Visitor Perched above the South Cam (:16) - May 8, 2022
Working on the Nest (6:57) - May 9, 2022
First Stick! (5:11) - May 9, 2022
Leafy Stick (5:26) - May 14, 2022
BIG Stick (3:20) - May 14, 2022
Eagles with Sticks (4 min) - May 15, 2022
Young Female Visits the Nest (7:48) - May 15, 2022
Nest Work at Dawn (6:49) - May 21, 2022
More Work on the Nest (6:13) - May 22, 2022
Eagles With Sticks (8:00) - May 24, 2022
Learning to Work Together (3:00) - May 28, 2022
Busy, busy as eagles work on their nest! (12:08) - May 30, 2022
Nest Work at Dawn (both cams) (4:30) - May 31, 2022
NF's Little Misstep (both cams) (1:00) - May 31, 2022
NF Visits the Nest (both cams) (7:00) - May 31, 2022
Closer Look at NF (4:47) - June 2, 2022
Closeups and Nest Work (4:35) - June 2, 2022
Hungry strangers visit the nest? (13:02) - June14, 2022
Late night visit - NM/NF this time?? (3:36) - June14, 2022
Watch Out for that Stick! (4:17) - June 17, 2022
Food Fight (1:51) - June 21, 2022
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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by gemini » Sat Sep 18, 2021 11:57 pm

2021-2022 Surrey Reserve Video Library (Cont'd)

Video Title (Link)
Video Length
Date Video Posted (Link)
- For the most part videos are recorded within 24 hours of the posting date. (see video for actual recording date). Clicking the date takes you to the post where you can find more information regarding the event.

Nest Prep and Preening (5:00) - June 30, 2022
Where to Put an Awkward Stick? both cams) (11:40) - July 1, 2022
Surrey Eagles Hanging Out (9:57) - July 9, 2022
Late Visit by SF (2:41) - July 9, 2022
Possible Crop Drop by SF (6:41) - July 9, 2022
Early Morning at Surrey Reserve (10:50) - July 9, 2022
Eagle misses out on live dinner - squirrel scurries away just in time! (2:42) - July 10, 2022
Surrey squirrel playing with fire once again! (:59) - July 12, 2022
Do Eagles Yawn? (2:00) - July 15, 2022
Morning Visit (6:00) - July 15, 2022
Nest Work at Dawn (5:20) - July 24, 2022
Getting to Know You (4:20) - July 25, 2022
Two visits to the nest - same eagle or not? (3:27) - August 3, 2022
Dawn - Part 1 of 3 (7:41) - August 6, 2022
Dawn - Part 2 of 3 (7:31) - August 6, 2022
Dawn - Part 3 of 3 (3:21) - August 6, 2022
What is this flying? (:16) - September 29, 2022
Visitors of the non-feathered variety! - (2:55) - September 30, 2022
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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by JudyB » Sun Sep 19, 2021 11:57 pm

What Happened to Sur at Surrey Reserve

(posted December 20, 2021)

As some of you know, we haven't had a confirmed sighting of the resident male Sur since mid-November 2021, and we're seeing a new male bringing food to resident female Res, and doing a bit of work on the nest. We've had a number of questions about that, and I'm hoping this post will provide some answers - or at least a context as we watch to see what happens next.

As personal background, I (JudyB) am a volunteer admin on the Hancock Wildlife forum and website, and have been watching eagle cams since 2006. I am not an expert (I don't have formal training or related work experience), but I have learned a lot from those who are as well as from everyone who posts observations to help us all learn more about eagles and other wildlife. So - I don't actually know what happened to Sur, but do have some thoughts and history to share.

David Hancock and his team put cams on the Surrey Reserve nest in the summer of 2018, and we met the resident pair (with the male named Sur for Surrey and the female Res for Reserve) that fall. They laid two eggs the following spring, and fledged two chicks that year, and did the same in 2020 and 2021 (though not without drama, but I'm trying to write a post, not a novel).

Sur and Res returned as usual in the fall of 2021, and began working on their nest, as normal. Then, on November 11, we saw an eagle on the nest who did not look like either Sur or Res. And the next day, November 12, we saw a series of confrontations, with an adult on or near the nest and another one flying at him (we think) and both sort of tumbling off and flying away. We are not positive, because many of the visits to the nest in the next week or two were at dawn or dusk, when it's harder to know who is who, but I personally don't think we've seen Sur since those confrontations on November 12, though there were a couple of times I could not say for sure which eagle we were seeing. Our Notable Dates thread has links to posts about some of these events with screenshots and videos - and if you look through the forum posts, you'll see that it took us a couple of weeks to be sure who was who and what we were seeing.

On November 21, an eagle who was not Sur (and who looked to us to be the other eagle we had been seeing) brought food to the nest, and Res claimed it - which helped us confirm that the third eagle was a male, and had challenged Sur - and apparently had won. Res has a feather that sort of sticks up on the top of her head (we call it her "cowlick") - and it's sometimes hard to see when the cam is in grayscale with the infrared light at night, but during the day it's often pretty distinct - so at that point we were sure it was Res we were seeing with the new eagle.

It's now December 20. The new male is still around, and he and Res appear to be developing a relationship - though it's still several months until we would expect her to lay eggs, and anything could happen. We did check with the local wildlife rehab center, and they did not get any reports of an injured (or worse) male from the area around the Surrey Reserve nest around the time Sur went missing - so he may have decided to leave; it's hard to tell, but the new male may be slightly larger and stronger, though Sur was a large strong male. He also may have been injured and went off to heal - in which case there could be a round two. Or he may have died, though we are all hoping he's OK.

As you may know, eagles mature more slowly than some other birds - there are occasional exceptions, but generally they don't mate until they are at least five years old, and it's often 6 or 7. So - in terms of the survival of the species - their instincts tell them that once they've reached breeding age, their job is to stay alive, find a partner, and produce little chicks with their genes. They will fight fiercely to defend their nest and their chicks - but they won't necessarily sacrifice their own life in a fight they can't win. If you've ever watched a video of eaglets being banded, where the bander goes into the nest - you'll see that the eagles dive at that person (most of them wear some form of protective helmet) - but I don't think I've ever seen one actually strike the much bigger human.

Which is a really long way of saying that it is possible that Sur decided (or instinct led him) to leave, knowing he would eventually find another partner with whom to create chicks who would carry his genes. It may be more likely that he was seriously injured and did not survive - and is possible that he was injured but will return to try for a rematch after he heals - but I personally prefer to think that he decided to leave (not sure how to say this without risking copyright issues, but Kenny Rogers had a song with the line "know when to walk away and know when to run" - I like to think that Sur chose to leave and will find a new mate and live happily ever after, even though the odds are probably against that).

Which gets us to the question - "don't eagles mate for life?" In many cases it seems that they do - but I learned years ago that at least some biologists believe that eagles don't necessarily bond with their partners as much as they develop a bond with the territory. At this point in time, I don't think we have enough eagles with trackers to know where adults go in the late summer/early fall when eagles in BC go off to follow the various salmon runs to rest and recover from the energy spent raising their chicks - but it's quite likely that pairs take separate vacations, so to speak, and meet up again at the nest in the fall. I absolutely believe that on some level Res would prefer to be with Sur; the two of them have worked out how to build a nest without one of them hitting the other over the head with a stick (humanizing analogy - but they have figured a pattern that works for them). And adjusting to a new partner does involve a learning curve. But in the years that I've been watching, I've seen a number of mates being replaced, and can only think of once or twice when (maybe) an eagle gave up their nest to go with a defeated mate. And even though we have really good cameras, we only see a fraction of what's going on in the lives of the eagles.

Which reminds me that I forgot to mention that it is not Res's job to help Sur fight off a male who wants to take his place. Res's instincts tell her that she needs the best possible male to help make sure her genes survive - and if Sur can't chase the intruder off now, he wouldn't be able to protect the chicks if the intruder came back later. When there are eggs and especially when there are chicks, the game changes a bit - Res still might not tangle with a male trying to take over the territory, but she would absolutely protect her chicks. And the male of a nest would do his best to protect chicks from an intruding female, though that's a harder task, given that females are bigger and stronger in general. There are not eggs or chicks to defend, so, for better or worse, Res is not going to get involved in a fight between two males (and Sur would stay clear if someone had challenged Res).

Wow - this is looking a bit like a novel - I'm afraid I do ramble on. But I love sharing the information I've learned, as others have shared it with me.

I have to say this is not the startup to a new season I was expecting, or the one I would have chosen if given a choice - but the eagles get to decide, and thanks to the cameras, we get to go along for the ride. I'm hoping that the rest of the season will be much more peaceful, hopefully with little chicks becoming mighty eagles in just 12 weeks!

We would love to have more people posting observations - if you've been peeking in to see what's happening, please do consider joining us! Thanks!

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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by JudyB » Thu Sep 23, 2021 12:01 am

Here are a couple of pictures to go with the previous post.

This is Sur from November 11, showing the area under his right eye where there don't seem to be any feathers (clicks bigger):

Image

The feathers on his head seem quite fluffy here - he may have just had a good shake. You can also see that picture and one of his left eye here - viewtopic.php?f=114&t=584&start=510#p513208


This is a picture of the new male - you can see that there is more white under the right eye, and while many eagles seem to have a dark circle around the edge of the eye at least some of the time, his seems more prominent than many - at least sometimes.

Image


And I'm not actually sure, but I think this capture from one of the series of confrontations we saw on November 12 shows the intruding male flying off as Sur comes after him.

Image


There are additional links in the "notable dates" thread nearer the top of this page - viewtopic.php?f=114&t=584#p501051 - and we are also making a list of the videos (thanks, gemini!) so you can find the various encounters we recorded here - viewtopic.php?f=114&t=584#p501059

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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by JudyB » Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:00 am

What Happened to Res at Surrey Reserve

(posted March 14, 2022)

This is going to be a bit shorter than my post about Sur's disappearance in mid-November (link) - the quick answer is that we don't know what happened.

Here's what we do know - and a bit of speculation on my part:

The new male and Res were together in the territory for about 6 weeks; he brought her some food offerings (and occasionally tried to grab them back from her - I think he's not an experienced mate), and they perched together. On December 23rd, Res and the new male were on the nest; she flew off as it was getting dark, he left a little later - and that's the last time we saw Res. The weather was bad the next few days (and being near Christmas, none of us were watching as much as usual, but we did check the dvr). There was no drama, no fights; we didn't see another female on the nest until the 31st. Res might have had an accident during the storms around that time, but there were no reports of injured or dead eagles matching her description, and she was a mature eagle who knew the area so had plenty of experience with storms.

My personal theory (which is pure speculation) is that Sur had recovered enough by the 23rd to leave the area ahead of the storm, and did a distant fly-by before leaving forever - and Res saw him, thought about what a jerk the new male can be - and yelled "Wait for me!" as she flew off to join him (humanizing just a little :%: ).

More seriously, I've been following the eagles on the Channel Islands off the coast of California where the eagles all had wing tags for a number of years as part of a restoration program - so I know that pairs occasionally show up in a different territory - and since most of the Channel Island nests don't have cams, we don't know what led those pairs to relocate. I also know of adults who lost a fight and showed up the next season elsewhere with a different mate, while their former mate settled in with the victor - and I'm quite certain that most of the time when one partner disappears, the other stays with the nest and chooses a new mate. But not always.

There's always a period of "getting to know you" whenever a new eagle appears - but Res and the new male didn't seem very compatible (though maybe it felt that way to me because I really liked Sur - but new male did try to grab Res's food). The two eagles we've been seeing there for the past few months seem to be more in sync - though we've also seen a younger female with quite a few black feathers on the head and tail a few times, so things are possibly still in flux.

So - getting back to Res - my best guess is that Res is fine and left of her own free will (or instinct, or whatever eagles have). Being a sentimental human, I hope she's with Sur - and I think it's possible that she is.

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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by JudyB » Fri Sep 24, 2021 10:30 am

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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by JudyB » Fri Sep 24, 2021 10:55 am

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Re: Surrey Reserve 2021-2022 Observation and Discussion

Post by JudyB » Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:47 pm

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Re: Surrey Reserve 2020-2021 Observation and Discussion

Post by CC398 » Sat Sep 25, 2021 7:22 pm

19:29 - Welcome home Sur or Res! :rh: :grhug:
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I have found that watching Eagles in Nature is the best and most addictive show on Earth - CC

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