There香蕉视频直播檚 some excitement in the bald eagle-watching community, with the arrival of the first eggs of the season in a White Rock nest.

Located on a private portion of the White Rock bluff overlooking Boundary Bay, only about 100 feet from the back porch of a private home, the nest is captured on three cameras and featured on a 24/7 livestream.

The first egg was laid on March 17; the second followed three days later, on March 20.

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e at the busiest time of the year with eagles 香蕉视频直播� they香蕉视频直播檙e all in the middle of laying eggs, or just finished, or just about to start,香蕉视频直播� said local biologist David Hancock, founder of the , whose website features several live eagle nest cameras.

Eagles usually lay one to three eggs, which take around 37 days to hatch, Hancock said.

While the White Rock nest is the first to feature eggs, there are at least two other eagle pairs that followers are watching closely, as both appear to be preparing their nests for breeding 香蕉视频直播� one in South Surrey near 0 Avenue and 172 Street, and one in Delta, not far from the Tsawwassen ferry terminal.

Both nests were built by the foundation, a non-profit society aiming to promote the conservation and appreciation of wildlife and their habitats through science, education, and stewardship.

香蕉视频直播淲e build nests because trees just aren香蕉视频直播檛 big enough with the right branch structure to support香蕉视频直播� they like our job better than their own. We can build them better,香蕉视频直播� Hancock said, noting that tall trees that are large enough and strong enough to support bald eagle nests are usually the first to be cut down when development happens.

The Delta eagles are both mature adults; the Surrey Reserve nest 香蕉视频直播� located on a half-acre bald eagle preserve made possible by Hancock, developers Dawson & Sawyer, the City of Surrey, and the province 香蕉视频直播� is now home to a new pair of younger eagles, only five or six years old.

There had been another pair using the nest, but the male disappeared late last year and the female 香蕉视频直播済ot beaten up, we think by the other new female.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淭his will be their first year breeding 香蕉视频直播� we香蕉视频直播檙e hopeful that they香蕉视频直播檙e just a bit later than the White Rock pair香蕉视频直播� the fact they香蕉视频直播檙e both young birds 香蕉视频直播� we weren香蕉视频直播檛 overly optimistic they香蕉视频直播檇 get it all together this year, but they seem to be trying and that香蕉视频直播檚 the best you can hope for 香蕉视频直播� so whether they香蕉视频直播檙e successful or not is the thing,香蕉视频直播� Hancock said.

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香蕉视频直播淲e coax them on with good spirits but they have to get together with themselves and figure out how to properly create a home 香蕉视频直播� we香蕉视频直播檝e got the foundation there for them, but they have to do all the intricate work of building the nest up and they have to do their mating correctly, which is a learning function, and then they have to figure out can they co-ordinate catching food for babies and all that kind of thing 香蕉视频直播� it does take practice.香蕉视频直播�

While he and others are hoping they香蕉视频直播檒l pull it off, Hancock noted that 香蕉视频直播渦sually what happens, is one mature bird is lost and the other mature bird gets a new partner 香蕉视频直播� often a younger one 香蕉视频直播� that comes into the breeding cycle.香蕉视频直播�

Even with both parents keeping an eagle eye on the nest, it literally takes a raven 香蕉视频直播渁bout three seconds香蕉视频直播� to steal an egg.

香蕉视频直播淚t happens. They land on the nest, they grab the egg and they香蕉视频直播檙e gone,香蕉视频直播� he said, noting that when parents exchange incubating duties is often when ravens will strike.

香蕉视频直播淎t the exchange some birds haven香蕉视频直播檛 learned 香蕉视频直播� initially 香蕉视频直播� if you move off and he moves on, if there香蕉视频直播檚 dilly dallying around one covering up after the other leaves, boy, we香蕉视频直播檝e seen it on the cameras. The raven is there and BAM! He香蕉视频直播檚 got the egg and it香蕉视频直播檚 gone.香蕉视频直播�

Watching the eagles can be funny as well, with some behaviours strikingly similar to humans.

香蕉视频直播淭he female absolutely, absolutely controls the nest,香蕉视频直播� Hancock said.

香蕉视频直播淵ou can see a male 香蕉视频直播� he brings in a stick, places it, looks at it, then takes it and places it again 香蕉视频直播� he香蕉视频直播檒l spend 25 minutes placing the stick. Then the female comes and lands and she walks over, immediately picks up that stick and puts it somewhere else.香蕉视频直播�

There are 680 occupied eagle nests from Horseshoe Bay/Point Roberts to Hope, Hancock said, noting his foundation just signed a contract to record the City of Chilliwack香蕉视频直播檚 eagle nests, to be a resource that the city, developers and builders can check before building, as every bald eagle nest is protected by law.

That香蕉视频直播檚 a huge change from the 1950s, when there were only three eagle nests in the entire Fraser Valley.

Back then, no predators were protected at all, Hancock remembered. Americans would head up to Alaska for summer fishing and would 香蕉视频直播渢ake a bucket full of eagles香蕉视频直播� legs and pay all their gas there and back香蕉视频直播� gas was only 23 cent a gallon back then,香蕉视频直播� as they could get $2 bounty for eagle legs, so they could kill as many as they liked.

Eagles weren香蕉视频直播檛 the only predators targeted.

He recalled being in a federal research vessel off Tofino in 1963, as he was going to be dropped off on a little island for a month to study sea birds.

香蕉视频直播淪omebody yells 香蕉视频直播極h! Orcas! Orcas! and a guy goes running past me as I香蕉视频直播檓 talking to the captain, then he comes up from the hold carrying a machine gun, mounts it on the front of the boat and (making a machine gun noise) with the machine gun, (shoots right) into the pod of orcas. That was killer whale management in 1963,香蕉视频直播� he said.

Rachel Carson香蕉视频直播檚 book, Silent Spring, published in 1962, really helped to start changing the public香蕉视频直播檚 view and perspective about predators, Hancock said.

About to turn 85 on April 1, Hancock has been passionate about saving wildlife since he was 14, when got his first eagle from the fish and game branch, as there were no wildlife rehabilitation facilities back then.

香蕉视频直播淚 became the first formal (wildlife) rehabber on Vancouver Island香蕉视频直播� I香蕉视频直播檝e had hundreds, even thousands, of birds and animals 香蕉视频直播� that香蕉视频直播檚 how I got started,香蕉视频直播� he explained. 香蕉视频直播淚 was the kind of the person who would take the things when they were turned in, so I became a rehabber, then a biologist.香蕉视频直播�

He also made wildlife films for years and started a publishing company for specialized books about conservation.

If someone knows of an eagle香蕉视频直播檚 nest, Hancock actively encourages them to contact him through his foundation or through its many volunteers, so they can add it to their database of the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley.

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檝e been doing this for a long time. I香蕉视频直播檓 still as enthusiastic about trying to save things now as I was then,香蕉视频直播� Hancock said.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 more important today than it was then 香蕉视频直播� we destroy things at such a rate, so it香蕉视频直播檚 still important.香蕉视频直播�

tricia.weel@peacearchnews.com
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