Surrey Reserve 2019-2020 Observation and Discussion
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Surrey Reserve 2019-2020 Observation and Discussion
The Surrey Reserve Discussion Forum
Welcome to the 2019-2020 Eagle Nesting Season
Click here to view the cams!
The Surrey Reserve and Nest:
The Surrey Reserve bald eagle nest was built in late August 2018 to replace one that fell down a couple of years ago. It is located in the first bald eagle reserve in British Columbia, land set aside by an agreement between the city of Surrey and developers Dawson & Sawyer to guarantee space for eagles to nest while adjacent land was cleared for a housing development (read the full story here).
The Reserve is on the southern edge of the city of Surrey, in close proximity to the Semiahmoo Bay eagle fishing habitat and not that far from the home of the Hancock Wildlife Foundation. It is now surrounded by townhomes but the nest itself is about 90 feet above the ground in a cottonwood tree, nestled amongst the trees included on the Reserve.
The Nest Tree
Semiahmoo Bay eagle fishing habitat
Map of Surrey Reserve area - The X is approximately where the nest is. Map Courtesy of the City of Surrey Online Mapping System,
and is open data which may be republished without restriction.
The Cameras:
There are two powerful pan-tilt-zoom cams in place to watch the nest, one overhead and the other in a tree about 35 feet away that allows us to see the eagles come and go from the nest. Both have sound and night vision (not visible to the eagles).
North Cam View South Cam View
Welcome to the 2019-2020 Eagle Nesting Season
Click here to view the cams!
The Surrey Reserve and Nest:
The Surrey Reserve bald eagle nest was built in late August 2018 to replace one that fell down a couple of years ago. It is located in the first bald eagle reserve in British Columbia, land set aside by an agreement between the city of Surrey and developers Dawson & Sawyer to guarantee space for eagles to nest while adjacent land was cleared for a housing development (read the full story here).
The Reserve is on the southern edge of the city of Surrey, in close proximity to the Semiahmoo Bay eagle fishing habitat and not that far from the home of the Hancock Wildlife Foundation. It is now surrounded by townhomes but the nest itself is about 90 feet above the ground in a cottonwood tree, nestled amongst the trees included on the Reserve.
The Nest Tree
Semiahmoo Bay eagle fishing habitat
Map of Surrey Reserve area - The X is approximately where the nest is. Map Courtesy of the City of Surrey Online Mapping System,
and is open data which may be republished without restriction.
The Cameras:
There are two powerful pan-tilt-zoom cams in place to watch the nest, one overhead and the other in a tree about 35 feet away that allows us to see the eagles come and go from the nest. Both have sound and night vision (not visible to the eagles).
North Cam View South Cam View
Re: Surrey Reserve 2019-2020 Observation and Discussion
2019-2020 Season Notable Dates:
Adults returned: Res, September 25; Sur, September 28
Eggs laid: #1 - Feb 27, 5:11 pm; #2 - Mar 1, 6:19 pm
Pip Seen: #1 - April 4, 1:13 pm (37 days); April 6, 6:46 am (36 days)
Eggs hatched: SR3 - April 5, 1:24 am (38 days); SR4 - April 6, 9:23 pm (36 days)
Eaglets named: Thor and Loki, May 19 (named by owners of the Eagles townhome complex)
First branched: (note - per David Hancock, the nest support/east perch is considered branching since it's outside the nest)
- Thor observed on nest support - June 20, (76 days old);
- Loki on little perch, June 25 (80 days old) (Loki had flap-climbed up the slanted trunk before that, but we hadn't seen her perch on a branch until now)
Fledged: Loki - June 28, 8:15 am (83 days old) (slo-mo video); Thor - June 28, 10:18 am (84 days old) (slo-mo video)
Loki to Rehab: Loki had a bit of a mishap involving a power line the evening of July 1 and was taken to OWL (details) (86 days old, 4th day flying)
- video of Loki in the flight cage, courtesy of OWL; based on her weight (4.5 kg/9.9 pounds), they believe she is female
Eaglets last seen:
- Loki - late afternoon July 17, seen in area by David Hancock following release in Peace Arch Park, near the nest (details and video of release); Loki has a blue band on her left leg with silver D over 3 and has a tracker - code BETA04 (map) (tracker shows her heading North on July 20 - 105 days old; may have left on the 19th)
- Thor - July 19, 9:07 pm (15 weeks old/105 days; 3 weeks after fledge; there were two visits that evening, and we may have heard a second fledgling calling nearby); before those visits, Thor was last seen July 16 at 8:38 pm
Adults last seen:
- Res - August 14, 5:30 am; previously seen August 8, 5:41 am (fly-by); August 7, 5:26 am; August 6, 8:14 pm; August 5, 8:30 pm; August 4, 5:22 am; July 31, 5:08 am; July 12, 4:24 pm and 9:05 pm
- Sur - August 14, 5:39 am; previously seen August 8, 5:44 am; August 7, 5:40 am; August 5, 8:30 pm; August 4, 5:33 am; July 31, 5:18 am; July 27, 3:34 pm; July 15, 1-4 pm
Cams Cleaned: August 27 (dome on South cam removed and cleaned; outside of North dome cleaned; I think replacement domes were either the wrong size or used a different unique screwdriver)
Useful LInks:
Surrey Reserve Cams
2018-2019 Discussion Thread
Fall 2019 Cam Cleaning
Reports and Photos from Ground Observers
Surrey Reserve History and Information
Background article about the nest and the cam
Hancock Wildlife forum member's DICTION-AERIE
Surrey Weather Now
Map of Loki's Travels ~ Related Forum Discussion Thread
Nest Adoptions for 2019/2020 are now available!
In the 2020 nesting season (September 2019-August 2020) this nest has been adopted by:
~ gemini
~ JudyB
~ Parkland Burnaby Refinery
~ Barb Fitzsimmons and Robert Meyer
~ In Memory of Harry Stothers
Previous Year's Adoptions
2013 - 2019
You too can honor your favorite fine feathered family
and support the work of Hancock Wildlife by adopting
HWF nest of your choice.
Click HERE to see how!
Adults returned: Res, September 25; Sur, September 28
Eggs laid: #1 - Feb 27, 5:11 pm; #2 - Mar 1, 6:19 pm
Pip Seen: #1 - April 4, 1:13 pm (37 days); April 6, 6:46 am (36 days)
Eggs hatched: SR3 - April 5, 1:24 am (38 days); SR4 - April 6, 9:23 pm (36 days)
Eaglets named: Thor and Loki, May 19 (named by owners of the Eagles townhome complex)
First branched: (note - per David Hancock, the nest support/east perch is considered branching since it's outside the nest)
- Thor observed on nest support - June 20, (76 days old);
- Loki on little perch, June 25 (80 days old) (Loki had flap-climbed up the slanted trunk before that, but we hadn't seen her perch on a branch until now)
Fledged: Loki - June 28, 8:15 am (83 days old) (slo-mo video); Thor - June 28, 10:18 am (84 days old) (slo-mo video)
Loki to Rehab: Loki had a bit of a mishap involving a power line the evening of July 1 and was taken to OWL (details) (86 days old, 4th day flying)
- video of Loki in the flight cage, courtesy of OWL; based on her weight (4.5 kg/9.9 pounds), they believe she is female
Eaglets last seen:
- Loki - late afternoon July 17, seen in area by David Hancock following release in Peace Arch Park, near the nest (details and video of release); Loki has a blue band on her left leg with silver D over 3 and has a tracker - code BETA04 (map) (tracker shows her heading North on July 20 - 105 days old; may have left on the 19th)
- Thor - July 19, 9:07 pm (15 weeks old/105 days; 3 weeks after fledge; there were two visits that evening, and we may have heard a second fledgling calling nearby); before those visits, Thor was last seen July 16 at 8:38 pm
Adults last seen:
- Res - August 14, 5:30 am; previously seen August 8, 5:41 am (fly-by); August 7, 5:26 am; August 6, 8:14 pm; August 5, 8:30 pm; August 4, 5:22 am; July 31, 5:08 am; July 12, 4:24 pm and 9:05 pm
- Sur - August 14, 5:39 am; previously seen August 8, 5:44 am; August 7, 5:40 am; August 5, 8:30 pm; August 4, 5:33 am; July 31, 5:18 am; July 27, 3:34 pm; July 15, 1-4 pm
Cams Cleaned: August 27 (dome on South cam removed and cleaned; outside of North dome cleaned; I think replacement domes were either the wrong size or used a different unique screwdriver)
Useful LInks:
Surrey Reserve Cams
2018-2019 Discussion Thread
Fall 2019 Cam Cleaning
Reports and Photos from Ground Observers
Surrey Reserve History and Information
Background article about the nest and the cam
Hancock Wildlife forum member's DICTION-AERIE
Surrey Weather Now
Map of Loki's Travels ~ Related Forum Discussion Thread
Nest Adoptions for 2019/2020 are now available!
In the 2020 nesting season (September 2019-August 2020) this nest has been adopted by:
~ gemini
~ JudyB
~ Parkland Burnaby Refinery
~ Barb Fitzsimmons and Robert Meyer
~ In Memory of Harry Stothers
Previous Year's Adoptions
2013 - 2019
You too can honor your favorite fine feathered family
and support the work of Hancock Wildlife by adopting
HWF nest of your choice.
Click HERE to see how!
Re: Surrey Reserve 2019-2020 Observation and Discussion
IDing The Eagles:
The resident pair, aptly named Res (the female) and Sur (the male) are not easy to tell apart. However, each has his/her own distinctive traits, some permanent and some possibly only temporary, that
help to identify which eagle we are looking at.
Permanent Differences:
Res (on the left) is bigger than Sur (click 2x)
The black dots on the iris are permanent (Res on left) (click 2x)
We hope to get scaps of their other eye this season.
Other differences:
NOTE: Keeping in mind that any feathering differences can disappear as feathers are molted, here are some of the differences noted during the past season. With any luck at all at least one, if not all, will be there when they return from migration.
Res (on the left) has has white feathering and less yellow skin around the eyes; Sur has some dark feathers and more yellow skin around the eyes giving the eye area a darker appearance; (click 2x)
The resident pair, aptly named Res (the female) and Sur (the male) are not easy to tell apart. However, each has his/her own distinctive traits, some permanent and some possibly only temporary, that
help to identify which eagle we are looking at.
Permanent Differences:
Res (on the left) is bigger than Sur (click 2x)
The black dots on the iris are permanent (Res on left) (click 2x)
We hope to get scaps of their other eye this season.
Other differences:
NOTE: Keeping in mind that any feathering differences can disappear as feathers are molted, here are some of the differences noted during the past season. With any luck at all at least one, if not all, will be there when they return from migration.
Res (on the left) has has white feathering and less yellow skin around the eyes; Sur has some dark feathers and more yellow skin around the eyes giving the eye area a darker appearance; (click 2x)
Re: Surrey Reserve 2019-2020 Observation and Discussion
Other differences (cont'd)
NOTE: Keeping in mind that any feathering differences can disappear as feathers are molted, here are some of the differences noted during the past season. With any luck at all at least one, if not all, will be there when they return from migration.
Sur's neckline (on the left) is more ragged and has one or two wayward feathers below the neckline; Res has a more rounded collar and a little tuft of feathers that sometimes seems to stick up on the top of her head, which appears as a shadow or gray spot at times.
Sur (right) has a black mark on the lower right corner of his tail. Res has no markings. (Click 2x)
Sur (on the left) has black spots on his upper tail; Res has little to no markings (click 2x)
Res has one more telling difference - a white stripe at the base of each wing that is sometimes visible when they are folded.
NOTE: Keeping in mind that any feathering differences can disappear as feathers are molted, here are some of the differences noted during the past season. With any luck at all at least one, if not all, will be there when they return from migration.
Sur's neckline (on the left) is more ragged and has one or two wayward feathers below the neckline; Res has a more rounded collar and a little tuft of feathers that sometimes seems to stick up on the top of her head, which appears as a shadow or gray spot at times.
Sur (right) has a black mark on the lower right corner of his tail. Res has no markings. (Click 2x)
Sur (on the left) has black spots on his upper tail; Res has little to no markings (click 2x)
Res has one more telling difference - a white stripe at the base of each wing that is sometimes visible when they are folded.
Re: Surrey Reserve 2019-2020 Observation and Discussion
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
And so it begins .......
The start of the 2019-2020 eagle nesting season at the Surrey reserve!
And so it begins .......
The start of the 2019-2020 eagle nesting season at the Surrey reserve!
Re: Surrey Reserve 2018-2019 Observation and Discussion
Peeking in before I go to bed and the stick is not there
6:48p From the DVR
6:14 pm Eagle poking in the nest
Looking over the nest ?? Res Welcome back Res
6:48p From the DVR
6:14 pm Eagle poking in the nest
Looking over the nest ?? Res Welcome back Res
Re: Surrey Reserve 2018-2019 Observation and Discussion
6:14p
Working in the nest 6:15pm
Working in the nest 6:15pm
Re: Surrey Reserve 2018-2019 Observation and Discussion
6:16pmLooking over the nest
Re: Surrey Reserve 2018-2019 Observation and Discussion
Moved up in the nest
6:16p
She is leaving
She is looking great
6:16p
She is leaving
Re: Surrey Reserve 2018-2019 Observation and Discussion
Out of sequence
Res flew in
6:13pm \ 6:14pm She takes the stick
Res flew in
6:13pm \ 6:14pm She takes the stick
Re: Surrey Reserve 2018-2019 Observation and Discussion
Cont
Has the stick and leaves also .. and paced it on the top nest rail or so it seemed
Re: Surrey Reserve 2018-2019 Observation and Discussion
7:22o
Quiet at the empty nest
Goodnight everyone ! So excited to see Res
Quiet at the empty nest
Goodnight everyone ! So excited to see Res