Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019-2024 Seasons

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Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019-2024 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Wed Sep 25, 2019 12:58 pm

Welcome to the Lochside Eagles thread for the 2019-2023 seasons. The nest is on private property on Lochside Drive which runs parallel to the Pat Bay Highway on the Saanich Peninsula and is easily viewed from the side of the road. The eagles have successfully fledged many eaglets in past years. Sadly the eagles did not produce any young this past season. The eagles are often seen perched in tall trees along Lochside Drive near their nest, as well as in trees at the waters edge in Cy Hampson Park, a short distance down the road towards the Town of Sidney. They often hunt in the big fields across the road. Please feel welcome to post your observations, photos, videos and discussion of these eagles whenever you visit their nest area.

Observations and photos of these eagles from past seasons:

2018/2019 Season here
2017/2018 Season here
2016/2017 Season here
2015/2016 Season here
2014/2015 Season here

Link to the opening post for the 2021-2022 nesting season here

Link to the opening post for the 2022-2023 nesting season here

Link to the opening post for the 2023-2024 nesting season here
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If you find a new nest, please contact me so it can be added to the WiTS mapping program.

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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020 Season

Post by sassyk » Thu Oct 10, 2019 10:19 pm

I did a tour of the nests on the Saanich Peninsula yesterday. The nest is still intact but no eagles were seen or heard in the area.
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If you find a new nest, please contact me so it can be added to the WiTS mapping program.

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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020 Season

Post by sassyk » Fri Nov 01, 2019 6:01 pm

I have driven by the nest area several times in the past few weeks but still no sightings of the eagles.
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If you find a new nest, please contact me so it can be added to the WiTS mapping program.

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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020 Season

Post by sassyk » Tue Apr 28, 2020 9:40 pm

I visited the nest area yesterday but did not see or hear any eagles in the area. I did not see any new sticks in the nest and only stayed long enough to take a couple of photos.
Lochside Dr.(1) 27 Apr.JPG
Lochside Dr.(2) 27 Apr.JPG
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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020 Season

Post by sassyk » Tue Jun 30, 2020 5:27 pm

I visited the nest area this past Sunday and spotted an adult flying towards the nest tree as I was walking down the road. It was in the nest feeding a big healthy eaglet when I arrived at the nest tree. The eaglet was up and down, flapping its wings back and forth across the nest. The adult hopped onto a branch beside the nest and the eaglet had settled down in the nest when I left. I took some photos but won’t be able to post any until I get a new computer, hopefully by this weekend :luck:
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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020 Season

Post by sassyk » Mon Jul 13, 2020 5:19 pm

Photos taken June 28th. I think it was the male feeding the eaglet when I arrived at the nest site.

Lochside Dr. Eagles(1) 28 June.JPG
Lochside Dr. Eagles(2) 28 June.JPG
Lochside Dr. Eagles(3) 28 June.JPG
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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020 Season

Post by sassyk » Mon Jul 13, 2020 5:23 pm

A few more photos taken June 28th.

Lochside Dr. Eagles(4) 28 June.JPG
Lochside Dr. Eagles(5) 28 June.JPG
Lochside Dr. Eagles(6) 28 June.JPG
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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020 Season

Post by sassyk » Mon Jul 13, 2020 5:24 pm

Last few photos taken June 28th.
Lochside Dr. Eagles(7) 28 June.JPG
Lochside Dr. Eagles(8) 28 June.JPG
Lochside Dr. Eagles(9) 28 June.JPG
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If you find a new nest, please contact me so it can be added to the WiTS mapping program.

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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020 Season

Post by gemini » Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:14 pm

2020 Cam Maintenance
Matching Drive

It's hard to believe that the fluffy little eaglets we first met in April are already flying around - and at least one of them is already half-way up the coast of British Columbia, feasting on salmon at one of the rivers with early salmon runs. The rest will be heading out soon, which will give us a brief window to clean the cameras, check the wiring and do any additional projects near the nests. Only one of our nests is currently sponsored (big thanks to Russ Cmolik for donating a new close-up cam for White Rock!) so we are asking those who enjoy the cams to help us get them ready for next year. We know life this year is different for many of us - but if you can help, we would really appreciate it.
Image

We have some big plans - two new cams for White Rock, replacement domes at Surrey Reserve and Delta 2, and hopefully getting to the bottom of the connectivity issue that keeps taking the South cam at Harrison Mills offline - and there will be some large expenses if we're going to do it all. We'll need a lift to get people up to the cams at White Rock and possibly at Delta, and the tree at Harrison Mills is very tall, requiring a professional climbing team if we are to do any work on the cams themselves.

If we can raise $10,000, we should be able to do the most essential work at most of the nests. And happily some friends of the eagles have pledged to match the first $1250 raised in the next three days - so if you adopt Delta 2, Harrison Mills, Surrey Reserve or White Rock for next year for $250, Hancock Wildlife will get $500!

The easiest way to adopt a nest is to
  • go to the "Donations" page on our website (https://hancockwildlife.org/donations/ - or click the button below)
  • click the "Donate via CanadaHelps Now!" link
  • enter the amount of your donation ($250 to adopt the nest of your choice for the coming year)
  • pick "Adopt a Nest" from the Fund list
  • use the message box to say which nest you are adopting and how you would like your name to be listed
  • fill in your contact information and credit card details, and
  • click "Complete Donation Now"
Image

And if this isn't a good time for adopting a nest, you can also make a donation of any amount to the "Eagle Cams/General Repairs" fund or you can make a monthly donation by changing the highlighted box at the top of the page from "Donate Now" to "Donate Monthly" (the first month's donation is eligible to be matched). Many of the funds have a suggested amount - but that is just a suggestion. The amount you put in the Amount box is what you'll donate.

You don't need to be in Canada to use CanadaHelps - and the rate of exchange right now is favorable to those of us in the United States - a donation of $250 Canadian dollars is currently less than $200 US dollars, so if you give $250 through CanadaHelps (or PayPal), HWF gets $250 Canadian dollars, and the cost to you is based on the current rate of exchange.

You can also use the other methods on the Donations page, but it's not as easy to provide all the information, so if you're sending a check or planning to give a donation directly to someone at HWF, please let me ([email protected]) or gemini ([email protected]) know a donation is coming so it gets included in the matching drive.

And if you have any questions about any of this, please do contact me or gemini and we'll be happy to help.
Image

Thank You!
Image


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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020 Season

Post by sassyk » Wed Aug 05, 2020 4:42 pm

This has indeed been a very strange season for eagle watching. I have not been able to get out to the nests I monitor on a regular basis and have sadly missed a lot of the action at the nests. I made one last trip on Aug. 3rd to see if the eagles were still in the area and did not see any of them anywhere around the nest area. I wish them luck with their travels to the salmon spawning grounds and hope to see them back in their territory within the next 2 months.
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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020/2021 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Sun Oct 25, 2020 10:51 pm

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I have not been able to get out to check the activities of the eagles. Therefore this thread will be continuing to include observations, photos & videos of the eagles for the 2020/2021 nesting season. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the eagles will produce offspring this season :luck:

I visited the nest area on Oct. 20th and spotted one of the eagles perched half hidden at the top of a nearby tree. I did not see the 2nd eagle.
Lochside Dr. Eagle(2) 20 Oct..JPG
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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020/2021 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Wed Mar 17, 2021 8:01 pm

I visited the nest area yesterday with my birding partner. We didn't see or hear any eagles in the area. However, when I was processing my photos I was very surprised and pleased to see an eagle eye and part of a beak in the nest. There is a white feather sticking up in the nest just to the left of the big branch on the left at the back of the nest.

Lochside Dr. Eagles(1) 16 Mar. 2021.JPG
Lochside Dr. Eagles(2) 16 Mar. 2021.JPG
Lochside Dr. Eagles(3) 16 Mar. 2021.JPG
Member since 21 June 2006
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If you find a new nest, please contact me so it can be added to the WiTS mapping program.

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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020/2021 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:28 pm

While driving home on Apr. 13th along the Pat Bay Hwy. I spotted an eagle in the nest looking like it was incubating :luck:
Member since 21 June 2006
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If you find a new nest, please contact me so it can be added to the WiTS mapping program.

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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020/2021 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Thu May 06, 2021 9:00 pm

I visited the nest area with my birding partner on May 4th. We did not see or hear any eagles in the area. However, after zooming in on my photos I can see a white head in the nest through the sticks. On my way back to Victoria I saw part of a yellow beak in the nest but couldn't stop for a photo.
Lochside Dr. Nest(1) 4 May 2021.JPG
Lochside Dr. Nest(2) 4 May 2021.JPG
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If you find a new nest, please contact me so it can be added to the WiTS mapping program.

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Re: Lochside Eagles, Central Saanich, BC - 2019/2020/2021 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Tue Jul 06, 2021 4:45 pm

I visited the nest area this past Sunday but sadly I didn't see any eagles or eaglets in or around the nest :( It appears the adults didn't have a family this season :cry1: I snapped photos from various vantage points along the road.

Lochside Dr. Eagle Nest(1) 4 July 2021.JPG
Lochside Dr. Eagle Nest(2) 4 July 2021.JPG
Lochside Dr. Eagle Nest(3) 4 July 2021.JPG
Member since 21 June 2006
Volunteer Nest Monitor for Wildlife Tree Stewardship Program (WiTS)
If you find a new nest, please contact me so it can be added to the WiTS mapping program.

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