Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019-2024 Seasons

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Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019-2024 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Sat Sep 28, 2019 7:00 pm

Welcome to the Blenkinsop Eagles thread for the 2019-2024 seasons. The eagles have been nesting on private property near Blenkinsop Lake for many years but the nest is not easy to view once the nest tree is in full foliage. The eagles have produced many eaglets over the years but unfortunately there are few photos of them available. The eagles can be seen perching in nearby trees and fishing at Blenkinsop Lake. They also perch in the trees along Blenkinsop Road near the Galey's Farm Market. Two eaglets from this nest sucessfully fledged at the end of this past season.

Observations and photos of these eagles from the past season can be viewed here.

Observations and photos of these eagles from previous seasons can be viewed 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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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019/2020 Season

Post by sassyk » Tue Apr 28, 2020 10:13 pm

I have been told that the nest the eagles have used for the past few years fell during the winter months. I viewed the area from Blekinsop Rd. yesterday and couldn't see any evidence of a new nest. However, there are a lot of Cottonwood trees in the area and the eagles could be using an old nest. Hopefully I will be able to have a good look soon.
Blenkinsop Eagle Nest Area.JPG
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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019/2020 Season

Post by sassyk » Thu Jun 04, 2020 12:09 pm

My birding partner reported the eagles have built a new nest in their old nest tree.
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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: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019/2020/2021 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Mon Oct 26, 2020 6:40 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:

My birding partner informed me that the nest had fallen down and the eagles were fixing up their old nest. I hope to visit the nest area soon.
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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: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019/2020/2021 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Sat Aug 07, 2021 9:54 pm

Sadly the eagles did not produce any young this season :( We wish them safe travels during their migration to the salmon spawning grounds in Alaska and look forward to their return to their nest area in the fall, looking healthy and well fed :rh:
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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019/2020/2021 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:51 pm

I have locked this thread but will re-open it when the eagles are seen back in their nest territory :luck:
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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019-2022 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Thu Oct 28, 2021 4:53 pm

I have not been able to visit the nest site this fall but my birding partner will keep me updated and if she has any info to add I will post it.

I have unlocked this thread to include observations & photos of the eagles for the 2021-2022 season. You are welcome to post your observations and photos if you see the eagles in their territory.
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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019-2022 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Sat Nov 13, 2021 11:00 am

This is the opening post for the 2021-2022 nesting season!

Due to having hip replacement surgery 2 weeks ago I am unable to get out to check on the nests. My birding partner will forward her observations to me when she visits the nest area. She has reported the property owner has seen the eagles building up the nest.
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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019-2022 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Sun Apr 10, 2022 3:27 pm

My birding partner has confirmed the nest has been active so far this season :woohoo: I will try to visit the nest area soon, when the weather here gets better. It has been very unsettled lately with rain, wind & hail :holdon: :(
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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019-2023 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Sat May 20, 2023 7:33 pm

This is the opening post for the 2022-2023 nesting season.

I have not been able to visit this nest yet this nesting season but my birding partner visited it on Tues. May 16th. She observed an adult feeding a chick in the nest :thumlft:
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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019-2023 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Sun May 28, 2023 9:26 pm

My birding partner visited the nest site last week and observed the nest from the bridge through her scope. She saw an adult feeding an eaglet :woohoo: I hope to visit the nest site soon!
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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019-2023 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Wed Jul 19, 2023 12:39 pm

My birding partner reported that one of the eaglets has fledged :thumlft:
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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019-2023 Seasons

Post by gemini » Sun Jul 23, 2023 11:22 pm

2023 Cam Maintenance
Matching Drive

It's that time of year - Vic at the White Rock nest fledged on July 12, and sibling Uni waited almost a week before fledging on July 18. Lof from Surrey Reserve is a week or so younger, and is beginning to get some height while flapping - I think it won't be long before we see her (or maybe him) trying out some of the branches! We know there's a chick at the Delta nest on the electrical tower, but without a cam, are not sure how close he or she is to fledging. We did lose an eaglet this year - brave, feisty Tyr from Surrey Reserve had some health and mobility issues but seemed to be doing okay although growing more slowly than most until suddenly he wasn't; I'll be adopting the Surrey nest for next year in memory of Tyr. :rh:

As I watch Lof moving around on the nest with wings held wide, I realize it will seem like just a hop, skip and a jump from now - and this year's eaglets will be off on their great adventure - and it will be time for us to get into as many nests as possible to clean the cams and do other needed maintenance.

We need your help so we can be prepared to see what happens next.

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!


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We'll have more details soon, but I know we'd like to have the cams at Surrey Reserve cleaned (which will cost around $1000) and it would be wonderful if we could get a cam at Delta that looks at the nest the eagles are using, as well as continuing to keep an eye on the one we'd like them to use (estimated cost $5-6000). We focused on the cams at White Rock last year, so unless there's an issue, we probably will skip them this year and plan to focus on them next year. There's a chance for a new cam at Harrison Mills, but we think the eagles have moved, so would need to find them or decide to focus on the eagles that fish in the river. And there may be other cams in the works!

If we can raise $7,000, we should be able to do the most essential work at Surrey Reserve and Delta. And with the matching drive, if you adopt Delta 2, Surrey Reserve or White Rock for next year for $250, Hancock Wildlife will get $500! Please note that adopting a nest is a sign of support for that nest, and we'll be using the funds where they are most needed - so please adopt White Rock if it's your favorite nest even though we probably won't need to do maintenance there this year - or adopt Harrison Mills, and we'll add your name there if we manage to get a camera there, or check with you a little later so you can choose to adopt a different nest or one of our tagged eagles with trackers.

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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 (or tagged eagle) 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"
We've tried to answer some of the common questions about donating here - All About Donating - and please feel free to PM me or email me ([email protected]) or gemini ([email protected]) if you have other questions or concerns.

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Thank You!
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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019-2023 Seasons

Post by JudyB » Thu Jul 27, 2023 1:28 pm

2023 Cam Maintenance
Matching Drive
Update

We have raised over $3,000 already - almost half way to our goal! Thank you all so much!

And another supporter has come forward and pledged to match the next $500 in donations - so if you've been planning to donate, today is a great day to do that!

Image

We already have 12 adoptions (2 each for Delta 2 and Harrison Mills, 3 each for Surrey Reserve and White Rock, one for tagged eagle Loki, and one person has not sent me their choice of nest or tagged eagle yet) - and nest adoptions have traditionally been the core of our fundraising for maintenance on the cams - so if that will work for you, please adopt a nest! Or two! :D

But I know that doesn't work for everyone, so I want to mention another option - we also have a core group who have signed up for monthly donations - and that consistent income helps with things like the cost of this forum, with its 1435 members, 662,126 posts and 1.2 million screenshots and other attachments. Thanks to all of you who post here, our forum has amazing documentation on a whole lot of eagles, not to mention osprey and various other critters - mostly in North America, but some from Europe and even Australia!

We encourage people to use CanadaHelps for monthly donations (actually, it's a great choice for all donations to HWF, and you don't need to be in Canada to use it). For those unfamiliar with CanadaHelps, it's a registered charity in Canada whose mission is to help smaller charities with their fundraising by handling the administrative stuff. If you're in Canada, they provide tax receipts automatically - and it's easier for gemini and me as the ones who track donations because there's a place for people to leave a comment so we know if they have an interest in a particular nest or tagged eagle - or what nest they want to adopt, if that's appropriate. Monthly donations can be cancelled at any time - or increased! :thumlft:

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We are grateful to all of you who post observations, screenshots and videos - without you, there would be no forum, and no resource looking into the lives of so many eagles (and other critters) - thank you! And what is that saying about those who do the most being the ones asked to do more - if you can help out by adopting a nest, or signing up for monthly donations, or whatever you're comfortable doing, we would really appreciate it. Thank you for your consideration.

We've tried to answer some of the common questions about donating here - All About Donating - and please feel free to PM me or email me ([email protected]) or gemini ([email protected]) if you have other questions or concerns.

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Thank You!

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Re: Blenkinsop Eagles, Saanich BC - 2019-2023 Seasons

Post by sassyk » Sat Nov 11, 2023 12:50 pm

This if the opening post for the Blenkinsop Eagles thread for the 2023/2024 nesting season.

I spent some time on the bridge over Blenkinsop Lake on Nov. 9th with my birding partner. Both eagles were flying in and out of the nest tree and surrounding trees. We didn't have much time to spend there before losing the light but the Cottonwood trees were beautiful :)

Looking out over the lake to the cottonwood trees where the eagles have built several nests over the years.
Blenkinsop Lake Eagles 9 Nov. 2023(0).JPG

Both adult eagles perched in the same tree; a few trees to the left of the nest tree.
Blenkinsop Lake Eagles 9 Nov. 2023.JPG

One adult eagle perched in the tree to the left of the nest tree; the other eagle sitting
on the side of the nest (right side of photo).
Blenkinsop Lake Eagles 9 Nov. 2023 (8).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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