Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

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Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Tue Feb 20, 2018 2:44 pm

Welcome to the Saxe Pt. Park Eagles thread for the 2017/2018 season. This thread is for observations, photos, videos and discussion of the eagles who inhabit this nest in Saxe Pt. Park within the Municipality of Esquimalt. These eagles also spend time at the other end of Munro Street at Fleming Beach/Buxton Green and Macaulay Point. These eagles produced 2 eaglets this past season but sadly one passed away in the nest in early June. Please feel welcome to post your photos and observations of the Saxe Pt. Park eagles when you visit their nest area.

Info and photos of this eagle family can be found by clicking on the links in the next post.

Here is an article that was in the Victoria News weekly paper in 2008 about the Saxe Pt. Park nest.

vicnews.com
part of BClocalnews.com

Sunday, 6/15/2008 2:28 pm
Victoria News > News > Urban eagles

Urban eagles
June 12, 2008

It’s not uncommon for eagles to go for years without producing any young; such is the case for eagle pairs in Victoria and Esquimalt.

While Victoria and Esquimalt have a single bald eagle nest each, neither mating pair that inhabit the nests have successfully reproduced since 2004.

There are many reasons why the birds, who share a nest with their life-long mate, wouldn’t have any eggs hatch. They might be too old or under nourished. Or there may be some human-made factor, such as pesticides damaging their eggs or nest disturbances.

Gwen Greenwood, volunteer coordinator for the Wildlife Trees Stewardship Program, said somebody would have to monitoring the nests quite closely to know the exact reason they haven’t been productive, and they’d rather not disturb the birds.

It’s not uncommon for eagles to go years without successful young, even when the eggs do hatch. Only 10 per cent of eaglets live past their first year.

There are plenty of eagles with babies in other municipalities, as the young chirp from three nests in Oak Bay and five in Saanich.

Greenwood said a lack of appropriate nesting trees is the reason the birds aren’t more common in Victoria and Esquimalt.

The current nests are in Beacon Hill Park and Saxe Point Park. Eagles are very territorial of their large hunting range, which stops several birds from building their 2,000 pound nests in the same area.

The birds are opportunistic carnivores, they eat fish and rodents, including rabbits and rats. They’ll also eat smaller birds, such as seagulls. Last summer the Beacon Hill Park eagles caused a stir when they attacked blue heron nests. Otherwise, they don’t cause much problem.

“They adapt pretty well to an urban setting,” explained Greenwood, who has been researching eagles in southern B.C. for eight years on behalf of the organization that helps protect eagle habitat.

When there isn’t enough hunting or nesting room for the birds or when human activity causes them to move, they will often fight over areas, sometimes to the death.

Wild ARC, a rehabilitation centre for wild animals run by the SPCA, aids injured eagles. In addition to helping birds that were injured fighting, the centre rescues eagles that have flown into buildings or towers, as well as young birds that fall from trees.

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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Tue Feb 20, 2018 2:56 pm

Links to previous years observations & photos of this nest:

2016/2017 Season
2015/2016 Season
2014/2015 Season
2013/2014 Season
2010-2013 Seasons


A view of the nest tree taken from the beach below.
Saxe Pt. Park Nest Tree taken from the beach below 19 Mar 2010.jpg

A view of the nest tree taken from the inside path.
Saxe Pt. Park Nest Tree taken from the inside path 19 Mar 2010 (2).jpg

A view of the nest tree taken from the rock bluff on the other side of the beach. The branch on the right of the nest is a favourite perch for the adults, as well as the branches just above the nest. This photo was taken in July 2010 of the eaglet on the branch on the left of the nest.
Saxe Pt. Eagles Adult on perch branch, eaglet on lower branch on left below 13 July 2010.jpg

I have visited the park a few times since September and have seen only one eagle flying over the park on Oct. 3rd.

Both eagles were seen by elle sitting on the rock outcropping off shore sometime in early November. One eagle was eating a fish. See photo in the next post.
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles - 2017/2018 Season

Post by elle » Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:33 am

Here is the picture I took of the Saxe Point Eagles in November 2017


Saxe Point eagles Nov 2017.jpg
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Fri Mar 02, 2018 4:40 pm

I visited the Saxe Pt. Park nest today with a friend and found Mom perched in one of the trees beside the parking lot. These trees are a favourite perching area for the eagles. We did not see Dad anywhere :(
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Photo of their nest, taken from the inside path, shows new sticks have been added :woohoo:
IMG_0776 - Copy.JPG
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by elle » Wed Mar 07, 2018 7:48 pm

An unexpected visit to Saxe Point this afternoon. Heard an eagle call while heading toward the nest but did not see an eagle in the nest or anywhere around the nest or park.
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Sun Mar 18, 2018 8:15 pm

I visited the park this afternoon and didn't see or hear any eagles. However, as I was standing at the top of the path up to the rock bluff, and watching the nest diligently, I did see some movement close to the big branch on the right of the nest. I took photos from that vantage point, and also from the inside path. There definitely are more new sticks in the nest, so I'm keeping my :luck: there will be an eaglet or 2 to watch this season.

In this photo, taken from the inside path, I'm pretty sure I can see some white feathers between the nest sticks.
IMG_1124 - Copy.JPG
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Sun Mar 25, 2018 7:22 pm

I went to the park this afternoon to see if the eagles were around the nest but didn't see or hear them. It was windy and cold so one of them could have been down in the nest. I'll have a close look at my photos later.

I can see some dark and white feathers through the nest sticks in my photos but no yellow beak.

Photo taken from the path above the beach. There are definitely
dark feathers showing through the nest sticks.
IMG_1415 - Copy.JPG

Photo taken from the inside path.
IMG_1428 - Copy.JPG

Photo taken from the trail up to the rock bluff.
IMG_1431 - Copy.JPG
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:14 pm

I went to the park for awhile early this afternoon; I stayed longer than I had planned :roll: After many trips back and forth to the nest and up and down the paths, and not seeing any movement in the nest, I was going to leave. I stopped to talk with a fellow who said he has seen the eagles coming back and forth from the nest and one of them bringing in food. He said he saw one early this morning. Then I saw the parks workers and spoke to one of them who said she has seen them the few times she has been in the park but the regular park worker who is there most days has seen them nearly every day :roll: Off I went back to the rock bluff to take a few more photos. I didn't see anything moving in the nest and no 2nd eagle seen or heard but when I zoomed in on my photos I actually caught the end of a yellow beak :thumlft: So they definitely have eggs :woohoo:

Here is the one and only photo that shows part of the beak; right side of the broken branch in the middle of the photo.
IMG_1655 - Copy Beak.JPG
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Tue Apr 10, 2018 3:20 pm

I went to the park yesterday and discovered the male perched on the marker on the small rock outcropping offshore.
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Tue Apr 10, 2018 3:26 pm

The male sat on the marker for quite a long time before flying towards the treed area on the other side of the park. I wandered up and down the trails but didn't see him. I heard the eagle in the nest calling and thought he might have gone to the nest. When I walked over to the nest area I did not see him or the female in the nest.
IMG_1953 - Copy.JPG

After walking up and down the trails and the rock bluff several times, I finally saw a bit of movement in the nest. I was very happy to see a head through the nest sticks when I uploaded my photos.
IMG_1957 - Copy.JPG
IMG_1966 - Copy.JPG
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by elle » Mon May 14, 2018 5:40 pm

We went to Saxe Point today and we can confirm there is at least one eaglet in the nest. I could not get a clear picture unfortunately. We did witness a very long feeding session so perhaps there is more than one eaglet :)
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Wed May 23, 2018 9:01 am

Very good news to come home to :thumlft:
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Thu May 24, 2018 4:08 pm

I just got back from the park and was very happy to see not 1 but 2 eaglets in the nest :woohoo: One looked quite a bit bigger than the other and I'm hoping they both stay healthy. I'll post some photos later.
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Thu May 24, 2018 9:45 pm

First 2 photos of the eagles, taken today from the end of Constance Ave. across the bay.

Adults above the nest.
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2 eaglets in the nest.
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Adult above the nest, taken from the path to the rock bluff.
IMG_4276 - Copy.JPG
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Re: Saxe Pt. Park Eagles, Esquimalt BC - 2017/2018 Season

Post by sassyk » Thu May 24, 2018 9:49 pm

Male on the side of the nest, taken from the rocks beside the beach.
IMG_4288 - Copy.JPG

2 eaglets in nest, taken from the inside path.
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2 eaglets in nest, taken from the path to the rock bluff.
IMG_4326 - Copy.JPG
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