Saanichton Bay Eagles, Central Saanich BC - 2019-2024 Seasons

[sassyk]

Welcome to the Saanichton Bay Eagles thread for the 2019-2024 seasons.

There was a nest across the bay for many years but it fell down a few years ago. I was advised by a resident in the area last year that the eagles had built a new nest in a tree near Saanichton Bay Park. This new nest produced 2 eaglets to fledging in the 2017/2018 season and 1 eaglet in the 2018/2019 season.

Please feel free to post your observations and photos of these eagles when you visit their nest area.

Observations and photos for the 2018/2019 season can be viewed here.

Observations and photos for the last few months of the 2018 season can be viewed
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

[sassyk]

I did a tour of the nests on the Saanich Peninsula yesterday. The nest is still intact. One of the eagles was sitting on top of a big yellow barrel out in the bay. I managed to catch it as it flew off. It flew to the wharf at the bottom of the next street and out of sight behind the trees. We didn't have time to go and look for it.

[sassyk]

I visited the nest area yesterday and was pleased to see one of the adult eagles perched in a tree near the nest tree. I managed to get one photo before it flew off towards the end of the bay. It is a difficult nest to see and I couldn't verify if there were any eaglets in the nest. I took photos from both sides of the nest tree. The adult is in the first photo hiding behind the top of the tree.

There could have been an adult in the nest incubating but I couldn't get a clear view and it started to rain hard.

[sassyk]

I visited the nest area this past Sunday. One of the eaglets was perched on a branch beside the nest but the second one didn’t make an appearance until I was leaving the parking area. I parked a little ways down the road and got a good view of it preening in the nest. One of the adults was perched at the top of a tree near the nest tree, looking out over the bay. I took some photos but won’t be able to post any until I get a new computer, hopefully by this weekend.

[sassyk]

Photos taken June 28th.

Branched eaglet.

Adult on a nearby tree looking out at the bay.

2nd eaglet appeared in the nest just as I was leaving.

[gemini]

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.

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"

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.

Thank You!

[sassyk]

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 or Saanichton Bay. I spoke to a lady who said the last time she saw any of them was on Aug. 1st. 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.

[sassyk]

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

I visited the nest area on Oct. 20th but did not see or hear any eagles. The nest looks intact. I hope to visit again soon.

[sassyk]

I finally made the trip to some of the nests on the Saanich Peninsula yesterday with my birding partner. We didn't see or hear any eagles around the nest or around the bay. Several neighbours said the eagles returned about 2 weeks ago and have been coming and going since but not staying in the nest yet We discovered there are a few more vantage points where we can see the nest due to a nearby tree falling.

[sassyk]

I visited the nest area with my birding partner on May 4th. We didn't see or hear any eagles in the area for awhile then the male flew in and perched in a tree along the path. I managed to snap a few photos while he perched and preened.

[sassyk]

May 4th cont'd.

The nest is difficult to see from the park.

There is a very good view of the nest from down the road and we were very pleased
to see a fuzzy head in the nest with the female.

[sassyk]

I visited the nest area yesterday and the first thing I saw was an eaglet standing on a branch next to the nest flapping its big beautiful wings The 2nd eaglet was in the nest. I viewed the nest and eaglets from various vantage points in the park, along the trail and on the road.

[sassyk]

July 4th cont'd.

I viewed the nest from various vantage points.

The female looking out over the bay.

Taken from the trail that leads to the creek where it empties into the ocean.

Taken from the road across from the nest tree. One eaglet on the branch on the right of the nest.

[sassyk]

July 4th cont'd.

These first 2 photos were taken from across the road from the nest tree.

Nest tree from down the road.

[JudyB]

2021 Cam Maintenance
Matching Drive

A little over 17 weeks ago, we met Tiku from our Surrey Reserve nest; this is just before he or maybe she made it all the way out of the shell:

And now Tiku and Tucca from Surrey Reserve and Hope and Chase from Delta 2 have all set out to explore the world.

We do still have one young eagle to watch - this is Romeo from our White Rock nest, who hatched 6 weeks later than Tiku:

At 11 weeks, he (or maybe she) is practicing perching on the nest supports and exercising those big wings. Eaglets generally fledge (take their first flight) between 10 and 14 weeks, and it's my guess that will happen in the next week or so.

And you know - I haven't really thought about this before - but our little window to access the nests and clean the cams and do any other necessary work isn't always that much longer than the 35-40 days it takes an egg to hatch. Last year the Surrey Reserve adults didn't leave until August 14 (though they weren't visiting very often after Thor left in mid-July) - and Dad Sur was back on September 26. Different pairs have different schedules - and it can vary from year to year - so it would be great if we could get ready now.

With that in mind....

We will be posting more details about our Adopt-a-Nest program, the new option to adopt one of our eagles with a tracker (details soon), the Monthly Donor program - and the work we need to do on the 10 cameras we now have at five different nests.

The important thing to know is that at least the first $1000 in donations toward our cam maintenance fund drive will be matched by long-time supporters of Hancock Wildlife - so the time to donate is now!

Details about How to Donate

If you have questions, please contact [email protected] or [email protected]

Thank You!