Tracking TERF07/Arctic Gal

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Tracking TERF07/Arctic Gal

Post by gemini » Mon Mar 08, 2021 5:24 am

Link to TERF07's Tracking Map

TERF07 was tagged and banded on December 12, 2020, at the Vancouver Landfill in Delta, BC. She appears to be female based on measurements taken at the time of banding; her USFW band number is 0709-00285 and she has a more readable blue band on her left leg with the characters H over 5. TERF07's age at banding appeared to be about 3-1/2 years old, so she likely hatched in the spring of 2017. Myles and David noted multiple stress bars in her feathers, which can indicate lack of food, stress or illness when the feather was being formed.

[Note: I need to find out how often feathers are replaced - I know adults molt every year, and think juveniles do also, but am not sure if all feathers are replaced each year or if it's a multi-year cycle; I do know it's an amazing process, with matching feathers on each side being replaced at the same time so the wings remain balanced. ~JudyB]

BAEA20-38 - TERF07
Banding Date: Dec 12, 2020
USFW Band #: 0709-00285 (right leg)
Banded: Blue marker H over 5 on its left leg
Captured: Vancouver Landfill, Delta
Age: 3.5 years
Eye color: Dark Yellow
Sex: Female


Update - June 1, 2022 - TERF07 has an official nickname! Lynne and I and a few other folks have been calling her "Arctic Gal" in honor and awe of her summers in the far north - and with thanks to David Hancock, it's now official - she's Arctic Gal!

With thanks to David and Myles, here are some pictures of TERF07 from when she was banded in December 2020.
TERF07_20201211_120951.jpg
TERF07_20201211_121000.jpg
TERF07_20201211_fromvideo.jpg
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Tracking TERF07/Arctic Gal

Post by JudyB » Tue Mar 09, 2021 6:56 am

This wonderful photograph of Arctic Gal was taken by Art Juillet, who has generously given us permission to post it here. I have to admit that when I first saw the photo, I was amazed that someone managed to capture my mental image of TERF07 as a powerful eagle in the frozen north - wow! And actually, it wasn't taken on the shore of the Beaufort Sea, but in Delta, BC, where snow is a bit less common, in February 2021, shortly before she started her journey north. But it's the way I picture an eagle who chose to winter in Alaska!

TERF07_20210213_ArtJuillet_fishing.jpg
(copyright Art Juillet, used with permission, all rights reserved)

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Tracking TERF07/Arctic Gal

Post by JudyB » Tue Mar 09, 2021 12:52 pm

Summary of Travels (last updated March 13, 2023)

British Columbia (2020-2021)
  • Received tracker December 12 2020 at the Vancouver Landfill in Delta, BC
  • We began receiving signals from the tracker on January 20, 2021 - and she stayed there for another month, through February 24th.
  • She made her way up the coast in a leisurely fashion, reaching Bella Bella on March 4th, and crossing over to the Alaskan Panhandle on March 7th.
Alaska (2021)
  • She visited the nearby islands of Revilliagigedo and Prince of Wales and that general area from the 7th to the 15th, then spent a day or two on Annette Island. After that, she moved on to Duke Island and stayed there exploring a little inlet through March 24th.
British Columbia (2021)
  • Perhaps she decided it was a bit chilly in Alaska - on March 25 she was back in BC and heading down the coast, getting as far south as Gil Island on March 29 (about 208 km/129 mi from the border - not far for an eagle)
  • She was heading back up the coast on the 30th, reaching Smith Island on April 2nd and spent a few days there before heading north on the 7th; her next stop was Kalen Island from April 8 to 11, and when she checked in on the 12th, she had crossed back into Alaska.
Alaska (2021)
  • She made a couple of stops in the places she'd been earlier, but continued up the coast, reaching Wrangell Island on April 16 and spending a couple of days there before continuing her journey north.
  • She reached Juneau on April 21st, and when she checked in a day later, she'd headed almost due North, crossed a tiny bit of BC, and arrived near Mt. Lorne in the Yukon (242 km/150 mi in a day!)
Yukon (2021)
  • She went about 25 kilometers further north to the outskirts of Whitehorse the next day, and stayed there from the 23rd to the 25th of April. The next day was another long flight north, roughly 200 km/125 mi, with a shorter flight on the 27th. She then headed East, and crossed back into Alaska, checking in from Tok on April 28th (345 km/215 mi - she is a powerful eagle!).
Alaska (2021)
  • The next day, April 29, she was near Fairbanks (280 km/175 mi); she stayed in that general area for two days, then headed in a bit of a loop southwest toward the Denali National Park on May 2nd. The next day she was heading north again, making a leisurely trip from Healy to Anderson from the 3rd to the 5th. She continued heading northeast, passing by Chalkyitsik, and crossing into the northern Yukon on May 10, near the town of Old Crow. The next day she was at the northwest corner of the Northwest Territories.
Northwest Territories (2021)
  • There aren't a lot of landmarks here, as you'll see if you look at her map (link) and the area where she has spent most of her time is along the coast sort of between the border with the Yukon and Tuktoyaktuk, a distance of about 150 km/100 mi. (Note - I round off the numbers a bit, so they aren't always absolutely proportional.)
  • From May 11-25, Arctic Gal was mostly in the western part of the territory she explored, more or less above Aklavik
  • After that she moved eastward for a few days, ending up near Tuktoyaktuk by May 31st.
  • She seemed to be mostly in the eastern half of the territory from June through September, and I really encourage people to go to her map and click the little calendar icon at the top and then pick a month and click from day to day and watch the red dot for her location move around.
  • TERF07/Arctic Gal began moving south around October 3rd, spending a few days north of Aklavik from the 6th to the 10th, then headed slowly south, crossing into the Yukon on October 17th.
Yukon (2021)
  • She continued heading slowly south, and reached the Yukon River on October 22nd, spending a couple of days where she first encountered it, then following it for a few more days, moving mostly east toward Fort Selkirk and a bit beyond through the 29th.
  • She continued moving south, crossing from the Yukon into northwestern BC on November 1st and continuing on to the Alaskan Panhandle near the Alsek River on the 2nd.
Alaska (2021-2022)
  • Once she was near the coast, she turned towards the northwest, heading up the coast towards Yakutat
  • She stayed somewhere a bit west of Harlequin Lake and what might be Dangerous River (interesting name!) from October 5th to 18th with one little day trip, then began heading southeast down the coast; I'm sure there was something of interest there, but hard to tell what from the map.
  • She was back near the Alsek River by the 22nd, and was on the top part of Admiralty Island, not that far from Juneau, by November 28th.
  • TERF07 was on Kupreanof Island on December 11 and spent some time near an inlet on the west side of the island through the 17th, then continued to the south end of the island on the 19th, then past the north east corner of Prince of Wales Island, and on to Etolin Island on the 25th. This section of her journey seemed quite leisurely, with lots of short flights and brief stays in different places along the way.
  • By December 29th, she was on what I think is a peninsula to the west of Revilliagigedo Island, and she stayed in that area through January 6, 2022, before heading south to a point of land to the east of Annette Island on January 7 - which I think is as far south as she came that winter. It sort of boggles my mind when an eagle (or anyone) goes south to Alaska for the winter!
  • She stayed in that general area through January 9, then crossed over to what I think is the southeast edge of Revilliagigedo Island where she stayed through the 19th before moving back to the area on the point where she'd been before; she stayed there through January 26.
  • By January 27, she was heading northwest up the coast again; she reached Etolin Island on February 2nd and spent a few days there, then moved on to Wrangell Island on the 9th and stayed there until the 18th, when she moved back to Etolin Island and headed down the coast of that through March 8th.
  • She was on Revilliagigedo Island on the 9th, back to the southern point near Annette Island on the 10th, then headed north again, this time crossing over to Prince of Wales Island on the 15th and exploring there until March 27th.
  • She was on Wrangell Island on the 28th, then did a bit of a loop south, ending up on Prince of Wales Island on April 1st, exploring a bit and moving northwest to Edna Bay on the 5th. She seemed to be hearing the call of the north at that point, taking fairly small flights but making her way back above Cube Cove near Juneau by the 11th - and then doing a longer flight back to Kulu Island on the 12th and spending a few days there before flying back to the top of Admiralty Island across from Juneau on April 17. By the 18th she had crossed into BC north of Skagway, and when she checked in on the 19th, she was in the Yukon near Whitehorse.
Yukon (2022)
  • Arctic Gal/TERF07 stayed in the Whitehorse area from April 19 - 22, then flew north to Carmacks on the 23rd, then headed west toward the border with Alaska on the 24th and 25th, turned north again then made a little jog into Alaska on the 26th, crossing back to the Yukon on the 27th and continuing northeast. She crossed into the Northwest Territories either late on the 29th or early on the 30th.
Northwest Territories (2022)
  • She was north of Aklavik on May 1st, down to Inuvik on the 6th and 7th, and over near Tuktoyaktuk by the 8th. It looks as if she was checking out various streams for most of the month of May, in a different place almost every day, though most were fairly short flights.
  • June was similar, though there were some places where she stayed several days, perhaps because some sort of fish were running or there was an abundance of little animals.
  • The first half of July she was mostly in the west end of her territory, above Aklavik, then she headed back to the eastern area, focusing on a couple of places that don't seem to have names. On the 28th she was at what appears to be the farthest east point of her recorded northern travels, a bit southeast of Tuktoyaktuk; she stayed there through August 7th.
  • For the rest of August and much of September, she was in an area southwest of Tuktoyaktuk maybe 30 km/18 mi in diameter, again spending a few days here and a few days there.
  • Her last update was recorded at 5 pm pacific time on September 21, 2022; she was heading northeast towards areas she'd visited before, and everything was looking good, so I'm hoping she's still going strong, and either her tracker failed or she's been exploring even more remote areas with no cell coverage at all. :love:

    20230118_TERF07_map.jpg

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by JudyB » Sun Apr 04, 2021 1:22 pm

Reserved

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by JudyB » Sun Apr 04, 2021 1:41 pm

April 4, 2021

Here's an overview of TERF07's travels since mid-December; she most recently checked in on March 25.
20210404_007.jpg

It looks as if she spent a couple of months in this general area near the landfill - here are map and satellite view:
20210404_010.jpg
20210404_011.jpg

I'm not sure what is in that area - if anyone local has suggestions, please let me know!

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by JudyB » Sun Apr 04, 2021 2:28 pm

Continuing....

By February 24, she was up by Davis Bay.
20210404_007.jpg

It may not have been the straight flight it appears to be - I think the tracker only remembers a certain amount of data when an eagle is not near a cell tower every day or couple of days to upload, and when they are on the move, it's likely they'll be somewhere without reception at the time of day when the transmitter checks for a tower.

A few days later, she was north of Powell River.
20210404_019.jpg

By March 4, TERF07 was at Bella Bella.
20210404_020.jpg

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by JudyB » Sun Apr 04, 2021 2:37 pm

Continuing....

By March 10, she had crossed into Alaska, and was on Prince of Wales Island.
20210404_021.jpg

And then she meandered a bit south again, crossing back into BC for her most recent post, on March 24th.
20210404_022.jpg

Taking a look at the area where she was on the 24th in satellite view, it looks to me as if there are lots of valleys where cell phone service may be pretty rare - so we may need to wait until she decides to go to a town to do her shopping before we hear from her again! :mihihi:
20210404_023.jpg

Safe travels, TERF07 - and call home soon!

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by JudyB » Sat May 15, 2021 6:31 am

May 15, 2021

Look at where TERF07 is now - wow!
20210515_001.jpg
20210515_002.jpg

Zooming in:
20210515_003.jpg

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by JudyB » Sat May 15, 2021 7:27 am

She hatched in 2017 and was banded in at the Vancouver landfill in Delta in December 2020, so is now four years old, and may be looking for likely nesting spots for next year.

Looking at the northern part of her travels:
20210515_004.jpg
Flight distance from Vancouver to Fairbanks is 1408 miles / 2266 kilometers and the distance from Fairbanks to Fort McPherson is 286.03 miles / 460.32 km - so she's traveled almost 1700 miles, or 2700 kilometers - wow!


Looking back over her travels, when we last checked on her on March 24, she was a bit North of Prince Rupert, and she stayed in that general area until around April 12. Here's a sort of a composite map.
20210515_005.jpg

And here's a closer look at the area without the markers hiding everything.
20210515_010.jpg

And the same map in satellite view, showing where she was on April 11.
20210515_011.jpg

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by JudyB » Sat May 15, 2021 10:47 am

Continuing....

I made a video to show TERF07's travels from April 12 to May 15; you should be able to see the blue dot showing where she is move on the map as the cursor moves from day to day. Eaglet sounds in the background are courtesy of SR5 and SR6 from our Surrey Reserve nest; I was watching the cam in another window while I made the video.

:vid: TERF07 - April 12-May 15 2020 (90 seconds)


Here's a closer look at the part of central Alaska she explored - she even visited North Pole - twice! (And I never knew there was a town in Alaska named North Pole!)
20210515_020.jpg

A closer look at the area where she is now:
20210515_021.jpg

And even closer:
20210515_022.jpg

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by JudyB » Sat May 15, 2021 10:51 am

Continuing....

The same map in satellite view:
20210515_023.jpg

That got me wondering a bit about how much was water and how much was mud, and I zoomed back a bit to see what else was around - and discovered that TERF07 is not that far from a bird sanctuary!
20210515_024.jpg

I wonder where she'll go next?

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by JudyB » Thu Sep 23, 2021 12:54 pm

September 23, 2021

A quick recap - TERF07 was about 3-1/2 years old when she was tagged in December 2020 (our team found her snacking at the Vancouver Landfill), so she's almost 4-1/2 years old now, and may be looking for a place to nest next spring (and - disclaimer here - I know young eagles do a lot of traveling before they settle down but I do not know if/when/how the instinct to look for a good place to nest happens so that may be humanizing on my part). I also know that many young eagles don't nest the year they turn 5 - but others do, so I'm curious.

As you can see from the earlier posts, she headed up to Alaska in the early spring, spent a bit of time there - then went much further north, getting to the area where she spent the summer around May 5th. (marker shows where she was that day)
20210923_002_TERF07.jpg

She stayed in that general area, checking in regularly, until August 28. I didn't think to take a screenshot once we stopped getting updates, and we aren't able to only see a certain time range on the map on our website - but I also have the Animal Tracker app on my phone, and that does let you see the last 12 months of activity as a little movie, watching the line move - and you can pause it - so this shows where she'd been as of the end of August.
20210923_002_TERF07-2.jpg

I'm noticing that some of the lines don't seem to be in the same place, which may be a factor of how the Google map on the website and the app on my phone chose which data points to map.


This is a more zoomed-in look at the map of her travels up north until now.
20210923_006.jpg

Here's a video showing where she traveled from August 28 - September 22; the blue dot moves as I click each date, and it looks to me as if she did more exploring on the left side of the map, which I think is near the border between the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

:vid: TERF07 at the Beaufort Sea (50 seconds)

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by JudyB » Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:49 pm

A couple of additional images -

A wider look at where she is - and how far it is from Vancouver; this is a Google map, which is why it probably identifies Seattle rather than Vancouver - but at this scale, they aren't that far apart. The map shows the area as if you're looking at a globe so the general scale is more accurate.
20210923_010.jpg
20210923_010.jpg (30.32 KiB) Viewed 3657 times

And this is a current image of her travels from our website; I used it for the thumbnail of the video. The gray vertical line is the border between Canada and Alaska.
20210923_009.jpg

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by Lynne » Sun Oct 31, 2021 1:44 pm

October 31st - TERF07 tracker check in - :woohoo:
follow the tracks back to the arctic - looks like TERF07 had started southward journey by October 3rd
October 11th - continued southward, west of the Mackenzie River
Attachments
TERF07 100321 500pm map.jpg
TERF07 101121 200pm sat.jpg

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Re: Tracking TERF07

Post by Lynne » Sun Oct 31, 2021 2:02 pm

October 25th - 2:00pm, along the Yukon River, west of Fort Selkirk
October 31st - 9:15am, east of Hanes Junction
roughly half the distance to Vancouver -
Attachments
TERF07 102521 200pm map.jpg
TERF07 103121 916am map big.jpg

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