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- PSA: Prospect Point Bald Eagles Rebuild After Windstorm, March 13, 2007
- City of Vancouver Bald Eagle Nesting Reports (pdf format):
- Eagle Home
- Identifying Breeding Adults
- The Eagle Nesting Calendar (Approximately)
- Vancouver's Urban Eagles
- Nest Updates and Maps
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- PDF files require the free Adobe Reader. Download it here.
Vancouver, BC
Contact: Robyn Worcester, Urban Wildlife Specialist
Phone: 604-681-9453; coyotes@stanleyparkecology.ca
March 13, 2007
PROSPECT POINT BALD EAGLES REBUILD AFTER WINDSTORM
Bald eagles mate for life and faithfully return to the same nest site year after year. The windstorm that hit Vancouver on December 15, 2006 caused some 10,000 trees to fall in Stanley Park, including one of the four eagle nest trees located in the Park.
As Prospect Point was one of the hardest hit areas of the Park, there are few trees left that are large enough to support eagle nests, which can weigh up to one ton. Nevertheless, the Prospect Point pair of eagles are picking up the pieces. Within weeks they began rebuilding in a large dead tree that is one of the few survivors of the hurricane force winds.
This aged tree is not entirely new to them, as they nested in it prior to 2004.
The eagle nests in Vancouver are monitored throughout the year by the Stanley Park Ecology Society. Their Urban Wildlife Specialist, Robyn Worcester, recaps, "This pair of eagles has only produced one fledgling (successful chick) in the past three seasons, but this year we will have a much better view of their attempt to reproduce."
The Prospect Point eagles can be observed carrying sticks and weaving them into a nest. They have even been observed mating. They will likely lay their eggs in late March and chicks may hopefully be observed in early May.
The nest is clearly visible now, located just west of Park Drive about a 10 minute walk south from Prospect Point.
Of the 15 bald eagle nests in Vancouver and the four in Stanley Park, this nest will provide the best view for people who want to observe nesting eagles up close. These urban eagles are quite tolerant of human onlookers and in Vancouver many pairs nest in public parks and people’s backyards.
Last year, eagle pairs successfully raised about 15 chicks in the Vancouver area.
Wind is a necessary and usual force shaping our West coast ecosystems, but this storm was unusual in that it hit a large urban Park that is so loved by Vancouverites and people from all over the world.
"Although the effects of the storm appear devastating to see, it is a natural part of our Coastal forest and the organisms that inhabit this Park are quickly adapting to the changes. The pair of Bald Eagles that nest at Prospect Point are a great example of this." says Robyn Worcester.
