Re: “Need more eagle info”
Diedre Pickford makes some good points in her letter of March 8, 2013.
However she does not have all the facts so here are some answers to her questions: It would be pretty hard to miss two adult bald eagles flying in and out of a tree on a city-size lot from December when they generally begin building or restoring their nests until August when any progeny would fledge. The nests are large and the adult presence obvious. And yes, the tree in question was marked with a yellow diamond indicating it was a wildlife protected tree. And yes, the owner DID know there was a nest in the tree. He had already approached the city about the possibility of removing the tree and was told he could not. He also approached a local tree company who told him they would not fell the tree as there was an eagle’s nest in it. As to the guy who cut it down – didn’t he look up before he did? The nest was apparently pretty obvious. As far as trees that might be a danger, well those can be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If you want to know if you have a nesting tree on your property contact Terri Martin, the Campbell River Environmental Coordinator, or look at the Wildlife Tree Stewardship atlas www.wildlifetree.ca/atlas.html which is available online.
I hope this clarifies your questions and if you think you might have a nesting tree on your property please contact Terri who will let you know.
Barbara Swanston
Campbell River