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The Eagle Update Archive:
- 2010 eagle entries:
- 2009 eagle entries:
- 2008 eagle entries:
- 2007 eagle entries:
- 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
Nest Updates and Maps
City of Vancouver Nesting Bald Eagle Update,
July 5, 2010
This photo of the Vanier Park eaglets shows that they are testing their wings in preparation for their first flight around downtown Vancouver.
Photo by Martin Passchier
Bald eagles nesting in the city of Vancouver have had a great season in 2010. Many of the pairs have raised their young almost to fledging age without any major mishaps such as nest failures or falls. A total of about 13 chicks are nearly ready to take their first flight!
Bald eagles are a common sight around Vancouver and of the 18 nests that the Stanley Park Ecology Society’s volunteers monitor, more than half are active nearly year round. These large birds of prey are mainly feeding on birds and fish, as well as scavenging along the seashore. Their daily activity increases dramatically as they try to keep up with the demands for food from their offspring.
For unknown reasons, the Wall St. nest has become full of plastic garbage.
Photo by Martin Passchier
One nest in the Port of Vancouver ("Wall St." nest) has had much attention this year as a Web cam has allowed viewers to see the eagles’ daily activities. Although three eggs were originally laid, and two of them hatched, this nest successfully produced only one large chick this year. This nest is also unique because it has become full of plastic garbage. Nest monitors have not witnessed how the plastic got into the nest, so we are not sure why it is there.
One of the Jericho eaglets in late June.
Photo by Martin Passchier
The Jericho beach pair of eagles decided to change accommodations this year and moved across the street from their previous location. In 2009 their nest fell apart while the chicks were still in it, but miraculously these managed to stay in the tree until they were ready to fledge a few weeks later. This year the parents constructed a new nest structure in a large black cottonwood tree across the street, which was a location they had also used in the past. The new nest has seemed to hold up well this year and they have two chicks which are nearing fledging age.
The Hastings Street eaglet being fed a talon meal.
Photo by Martin Passchier
One sad occurrence this year was the death of the chick(s) in the Strathcona Park nest. This pair which used to have fairly regular success at producing offspring has had some trouble in the last few years. This year they managed to lay and incubate their eggs successfully, but the chick suddenly died after a short time. It is unknown why the eagles have been having so much trouble recently but perhaps they are getting older or a new more inexperienced mate has replaced one of the eagles.
Photo by Martin Passchier
Several nests were inactive this year including Towers Beach, Pandora, Musqueam, and Dining Pavilion nests. Although these nests have been active in the past, there was no nesting activity observed this year.
Three of the nests showed early signs that they may become active but did not produce any viable offspring. These included the Cathedral trail and Pipeline Road nests in Stanley Park. Eagles were seen sitting on the trees and flying around the area in the early spring, but they stopped being as active by late May. The Westbrook nest may surprise us with young in the future, but it seems unlikely that they will have any offspring this year. The eagle pair is still hanging around the nest site, but no offspring have been observed.
The results for all of the active nests are shown in the below table:| Nest | Chicks | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hastings Street | 1 chick | This nest is high above a parking lot near the corner of Hastings and Renfrew St. |
| Imperial | 1 chick | Although it was hard to detect nest activity until later in the season, this pair has successfully raised one chick this year |
| Jericho | 2 chicks | Last year this nest also produced two chicks |
| Kerrisdale | At least 1 chick | In 2009 the two chicks fell from the nest late in the season. One did not survive the fall but the other was rescued by wildlife rehabilitators |
| Merilees Trail | 1 chick | This large chick is nearly ready to leave the nest as it has been seen testing its wings out on the limbs of its nest tree |
| Monument | 1-2 chicks | This nest is high up on a cliff in Pacific Spirit Park and so it is difficult to observe exactly how many chicks have survived |
| Southlands | 2 chicks | This nest is on a private property in south Vancouver, and has had great success in the past several years |
| SW Marine Dr. | undetermined | This nest is on a private property and we have not yet determined if they have successfully produced chicks this year |
| Vanier Park | 2 chicks | This nest has had another successful year and their chicks have almost reached fledging age |
| Wall St. | 1 chick | Although this pair laid three eggs, they have produced only one large chick this year |
Photo by Martin Passchier
THANK YOU! to all of the excellent volunteer eagle monitors who participated in the program this year:
Allan J, Gerry M, Josie P, Kate B, Keta K, Marian C, Mark W, Martin P, Robert D, Sam M, Sheila R, and Yvonne VT.
City of Vancouver Nesting Bald Eagle Update,
April 27, 2010
This photo taken from the Burrard bridge shows two fluffy, grey heads of eagle chicks.
Photo by Martin Passchier
The bald eagles nesting in Vancouver have settled in for another breeding season. Most of the pairs have completed the annual renovations to their nest sites, many have laid eggs and some have even hatched chicks. The timing of the egg laying for most sites was similar to last year and only one of the nests has been relocated.
Stanley Park Ecology Society staff and volunteers monitor 18 bald eagle nests in Vancouver in cooperation with the Wildlife Tree Stewardship Program (WiTS). Bald Eagles are a common species in British Columbia and their numbers have been increasing in this area and across North America over the last several decades. These large birds of prey have successfully adapted to the urban environment and have constructed nests in large trees near the ocean in a variety of locations including city parks, parking lots, back yards and industrial areas.
Bald eagles are faithful to their mates and their nest locations, resulting in large, deep nests that are used nearly year-round as feeding and resting platforms. Generally between March and July, both parents attend to the raising of chicks from the month long incubation period, through the two-month rearing period until the young are able to leave the nest.
The following details some of the recent developments at nest sites across the city:
The Merilees Trail eagle nests in Stanley Park has already successfully hatched one chick on about April 21 despite noisy road construction taking place nearby.
In 2009 the Pipeline Road pair, also in Stanley Park, did not attempt to lay eggs possibly because their nest had suffered severe damage over the winter. However, this year they have been observed making the necessary repairs and hopefully have begun incubating a new clutch.
The Jericho pair has moved across the street into a black cottonwood tree after their nest in a large Douglas-fir tree fell apart last summer. They were incubating eggs as of March 15.
The Wall St. (also known as LaFarge) nest site can now be viewed through a Web cam supplied
by the
Hancock Wildlife Foundation.
Photo by Martin Passchier
The Wall St. eagle pair in the Port of Vancouver laid three eggs again this year but only one of the chicks has survived. This nest can now be viewed through a Hancock Wildlife Foundation Web cam.
The Vanier Park nest has successfully hatched two chicks again this year despite some disturbance they felt as a result of the Olympics. There was some concern about the effect of the park’s light display which was so close to their nest tree, but due to precautions taken by event organizers, and the resilience of these birds, the pair began incubating on schedule in early March. Sometime around April 9 the first chick hatched and recently a second chick has been confirmed.
The Strathcona Park pair has hatched at least one chick in recent days.
Photo by Martin Passchier
The Strathcona Park pair successfully hatched a chick for the first time in several years. This pair built a new nest last season, perhaps in an attempt to have better luck, but to no avail. This year, they moved back to their original site and their persistence has paid off with the successful hatching of at least one chick on April 6.
The Renfrew pair are still incubating eggs.
Photo by Martin Passchier
Other active nests in Vancouver include the Southlands, Renfrew, Imperial, Kerrisdale, SW Marine Drive, Westbrook, Cathedral and Monument nests. Volunteers have confirmed activity at these nests and some are incubating eggs, but due to their locations, it is often hard to determine this early in the season if there are eggs or young chicks.
Inactive nests likely include Towers Beach, Pandora, Musqueam Creek and Dining Pavilion sites. It should be noted that on occasion these pairs have fooled us in to thinking they are inactive because the incubating adults can be hard to observe. SPES volunteers and staff will continue monitoring these sites throughout the season to determine if they are in fact inactive.
