Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC - Seasons 2020-2024

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Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC - Seasons 2020-2024

Post by stim » Sun Oct 06, 2019 3:51 pm

Welcome to our nest. It sits on private property between Mabel Rd and 9th St to the left off Gower Point Rd as you leave Gibsons. Please post any pictures or information you wish to share if you visit here.
As one leaves the Chaster Beach area towards Gibsons Mabel Rd is only the second street to the right along Gower Point Rd. The 2 territories could be side by side. I would say there is a good chance that the Larson Rd. nest territory could abut on the other side.
The nest can be seen from 9th St., Mabel Rd and along Ocean Beach Esplanade on the waterfront.
I was told by a neighbour who has lived there for 9 years that the nest was in use when she moved there.
2016...2 eaglets fledged
2017...2 eaglets to start but as of the end of June only 1 was observed, branching by the end of July with hardly any nest left in the tree. Sad
2018...2 eaglets seem to have died in the nest in June after confrontation between Ma and another female. It looks like a subadult looking female won Ma's territory, with still a bit of brown at the end of her tail as spied March 10 2019, now a new adult.
2019...The nest was active in March when tree felling took place in the lot next door and adjacent to our nest tree. Ma and Pa absconded. We don't know if they left eggs behind in the nest or if Ma had to lay them quickly elsewhere. They did show up back at this nest but did not lay here. Apparently on their return another couple fought with them in the nest. I don't know who won. Whomever did would make an appearance most days early in the day. Both arrived arrived back Oct 1 after their fishing trip north, loud and fat apparently. Hoping for a successful season this year. A friend who has a home that looks down on this nest says it doesn't look very solid inside, possibly from the in nest fight last spring.
2020...Our eagles hopefully built elsewhere as they did not rebuild in this nest tree. They were seen in the area but no one seems to know where they may have nested. We will continue to watch for them and their new nest.
2021...The eagles looked to be nesting early in the season then not. The tree is dead, likely from a new house being constructed too close to it, construction material and machinery sitting on the root surface. David Hancock arrived to build a mitigation nest. He chose a perch tree they've used through the years and constructed a good solid nest base structure in September. The old nest tree has been removed, as have most of the trees on the adjacent property. I hope our couple like their new surroundings with view of the Strait of Georgia. Hopefully the wind is not too powerful with the windscreen of trees being removed. A neighbour told me during the mitigation nest build that the old nest was 27-29 years old.



2023-2024 Season begins HERE
2022-2023 Season begins HERE
2021-2022 Season begins HERE
2020-2021 Season begins HERE

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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2020

Post by stim » Sun Oct 06, 2019 3:54 pm

Reserved

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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2020

Post by stim » Sun Oct 06, 2019 3:55 pm

I visited this nest Sept 27 to find no eagles around. Apparently they returned Oct 1, fat and loud.
Picture of nest taken from the bottom of Mabel Rd area and activity on the water at the time. :D
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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2020

Post by stim » Sun Nov 10, 2019 5:18 pm

A visit to this nest Oct 27 was very upsetting to see how close a house is being built to our nest tree. Our eagles lost last season because of tree felling on the lot right at laying time. Now I'm not sure the tree will survive but don't want to access private property to actually see how close the house is to the tree. It doesn't look like sticks are being added to the nest. In fact, I think it looks like fewer sticks than in Sept.

Nest from the bottom of Mabel
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From Mabel Rd. Nest tree is on the right of the photo.
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Nest from 9th St. Not looking very good.
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House and nest tree from 9th St.
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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2020

Post by gemini » Thu Nov 14, 2019 9:36 pm

Don't forget the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival is this Weekend!

Experience this Natural Phenomenon in 2019

The 24 Annual Festival - November 16-17, 2019

Download a map HERE! And just follow the Scenic 7 Highway - 30 minutes east of Mission, BC to the Harrison River/Harrison Mills, BC
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stim
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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2020

Post by stim » Sun Feb 02, 2020 1:36 pm

I got back to our former nesting site Jan 29. I say former because the nest does not look improved since my last photo and a friend who can see it from her home says they hardly see eagle activity anymore. They were perched in a tree fairly close to the nest tree but I doubt they are using it. As well, with the new house, still under construction being so close to the nest tree, with vehicle, boulders, a pile of earth and debris, I suspect the roots will suffer. I will send photos to the Region who is supposed to monitor nest trees.

This is at the bottom of the nest tree.
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The nest not looking great.
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Eagles in perch tree above, Ma needing to dry off. We've had so much rain. I don't know why Pa seems dry! You can see how wet Ma's head is if you click on the pic x2.
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Looking more regal.
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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2020

Post by Mushka » Sun Mar 08, 2020 11:01 pm

Thanks for the updates and pictures Sandra, has the Region shown any interest in looking into how this eagle nest tree has been left with no buffer and construction going on right below ?

I haven't been by there for quite a while as the last time it just looked so barren and the tree so vulnerable, was quite sad. I did a quick check in today though, from the corner of Mabel and OBE and the nest doesn't look ready to be used, about the same as the pictures you posted from October last year from that angle. I didn't hear or see any eagles while I was there, though it was only for a few minutes.

Karen H

Please click onto the picture to enlarge

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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2020

Post by stim » Mon Mar 09, 2020 9:18 am

Thank you for that photo Karen. I have not seen the nest from Mabel for quite a while and no, it does not look built up.
It is totally visible from 9th St now, where the pictures I posted of the root surface being abused were taken.
Donna McMahon got back to me as soon as I sent a complaint in to the Region, including a complaint form to fill out for the Conservation Officer, which I did and sent. Last time down nothing looked any different. CO called and left a message for me stating he wanted more information. I haven't been able to connect with him. Will try again.
I suspect they are nesting or getting ready to nest elsewhere by now. :(

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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2020

Post by JudyB » Fri Mar 27, 2020 4:05 pm

Fund Drive for Hard Drives

Good afternoon, everyone! I have just learned that we do not have the hard drives we need to record our cams as we approach little chick time - and we do not have the funds necessary to buy them.

These are the high resolution drives that are connected directly to the cams at the site, making it possible to record high quality videos of events at the nests - and we usually have them up and running before the eggs are laid. As you know, we already have eggs at three of our four nests, and they are likely any day now at the fourth nest - so time is of the essence.

Our tech person Ken is estimating that it will cost about $7000 to buy the high quality, high capacity drives needed for our 9 cams, and while we are keeping up with our regular monthly expenses, we don't have the extra money needed to buy and install the hard drives.

I know this is a hard time financially for many of us, with many businesses closed - but it may also be a time when some of us are staying home and watching the eagles after cancelling planned trips or dinners out - and I'd like to ask those who can to contribute towards these hard drives.
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Details about How to Donate

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

Thank You!

stim
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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2020

Post by stim » Mon Jun 29, 2020 3:52 pm

On talking with my friend who can see this nest from her kitchen it is obvious that it is not being used this year. I visited June 25 around 3-3:30, leaving my camera in the car so I could walk a bit of a way on either side of the nest. Going towards Gibsons I could see a couple of trees that looked like potential nest trees but did not spot a nest nor any eagles flying in or out of any trees. Hopefully one day we will find where this couple has chosen to raise their families. :luck:

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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2020

Post by heatherj » Wed Jul 01, 2020 7:58 pm

So sad about the presumed loss of this nest Sandra. But well done for trying to ensure the developer/home owner are held accountable. Let me know if I can help in any way.

Good news about some other likely trees in the area. Eagles are very resourceful and fingers crossed they will find an even better nest tree :luck:
What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. Jane Goodall

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gemini
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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2020

Post by gemini » Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:54 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.
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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"
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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.
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Thank You!
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Mushka
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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2021

Post by Mushka » Tue Mar 23, 2021 10:24 pm

.


This post marks the beginning of the 2020-2021 season


I took a drive today to see if anything was happening this year at this site and was surprised to see, a nest! But on closer inspection, zooming in with the camera, I'm not sure that the nest is that stable. This pair has had a nest (or maybe two) collapse before so wondering if this is going to be the case with this one ? There is a large open area at the bottom, on the left hand side (looking from Mabel / OBE) you can literally see the sky through the hole. I'm no nest expert but this doesn't look well constructed to me, but I could be wrong. Hopefully.

While I was there I could see one adult perched in a tree to the right of the nest tree. A woman walking by who appeared to live in the neighbourhood and had been watching the nest told me that they had been "sitting on eggs for two weeks and they were due to hatch in April".

Anyway, good news is that we know where the Mabel couple have built their nest this year. But, not sure if the nest or tree will hold up especially with no buffer around the tree now after all the trees were cleared around it, and that gaping hole in the nest.

Karen H

Please click onto the pictures to enlarge

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Nest, looking from corner of Mabel and OBE
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Cropped picture showing the hole in the bottom left area of the nest.
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Adult perched in tree to the right of the nest tree

stim
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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2021

Post by stim » Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:29 am

Very interesting Karen! I've been down a few times and have also questioned the reliability of this nest. I wonder how the woman knows they've been sitting on eggs and for how long? Last time I was down, March 8, 2 eagles were perched on a nice tall tree just the other side of Pilling Rd. I assumed it was our couple and that they had a nest over there but couldn't find one. A friend whose home looks down on this nest from Grandview has not seen nesting behaviour although they have been around a lot and calls the Pilling Rd tree their observation post. We'll definitely have to keep an eye on this nest!
I'll ask Gord!

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Re: Mabel Rd/9th St nest on the Strait of Georgia, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons BC 2019-2021

Post by stim » Wed Mar 24, 2021 5:16 pm

This is the pair of eagles I discovered perched just the other side of Pilling Rd March 8.
I've asked Gord what he has seen and heard. Hopefully he replies.
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