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Bras d’Or
Bald Eagles
They are the crowning touch of the Bras
d’Or Lakes’ natural beauty,
and one of Nova Scotia’s most significant
bird populations: the majestic Bald Eagles
that circle and soar above Cape Breton’s
inland sea number about 200 nesting pairs.
To the thrill of Bras d’Or residents
and visitors alike, the sight of Canada’s
largest bird of prey perched atop the Lakes’
tallest trees has become almost commonplace.
The Bald Eagle is exclusive to North America.
The bird is known for its white-feathered
head, dark brown body, white tail, large
yellow eyes and massive wing span. Although
it lacks the torpedo-like diving ability
of its fellow hunter, the osprey, the eagle
effectively uses its keen eyesight (3 -
4 times better than humans), astonishing
speed (up to 120 kilometres per hour) and
formidable feet (equipped with sharp spikes
known as “spicules”) to prey
upon fish, aquatic birds and small mammals.
The Bald Eagle is also an aggressive scavenger
of road kill and other carrion .
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Bald
Eagle Buffet
When ice forms on the Bras d’Or
Lakes, many Bald Eagles head
to Nova Scotia’s Kings
County area near the Bay of
Fundy. The hungry birds are
drawn to special winter feeding
programs that began in the late
1960’s. At Sheffield Mills,
north of Kentville, visitors
to mid-winter “Eagle Watch”
weekends are treated to the
sight of “eagle trees,”
in which as many as 40 of the
usually solitary birds gather
to feed on agricultural carrion
supplied by local poultry farmers.
Even backyard birders are getting
into the act, setting out food
to attract a species that is
becoming increasingly tolerant
of human activity. While some
may question the long-term ecological
effects of this intervention,
the eagle-feeding programs have
boosted the first-year survival
rate of Nova Scotia’s
eagles from less than 50% to
about 70% of all eagles hatched.
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While most of Canada’s Bald Eagle
population continues to be concentrated
along the coastal rivers of the Pacific
Coast, with smaller numbers in the boreal
forests of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba
and northwestern Ontario, the province of
Nova Scotia has recorded a growing number
of the enormous birds. The province now
has the distinction of having the highest
concentration of breeding Bald Eagles in
northeastern North America.
In 1975, it was estimated that there were
about 65 Bald Eagle nests in all of Nova
Scotia. By the mid-1980’s, as DDT
and other associated pesticide bans took
effect – and legal protection and
changing attitudes led to a decline in misguided
shooting and trapping of the species –
provincial Bald Eagle numbers became robust
enough to supply eaglets to “hacking”
programs in the northeastern United States.
(“Hacking” is an avian population
rebuilding technique borrowed from the sport
of falconry. Nestling eaglets are placed
on man-made towers located in remote areas
where eagle populations are low or non-existent.
The eaglets are kept in an enclosure and
fed by humans who stay out of sight. When
the birds are capable of flight, at about
12 weeks of age, the enclosure of the artificial
nest is opened. Food continues to be provided
at the release site, with supplies gradually
diminishing as the eagles learn to fend
for themselves.)
The Bald Eagle population of Nova Scotia
is now approaching 1,000 birds, with most
concentrated around the Bras d’Or
Lakes, in areas of shallow water and irregular
coastline. Eagle nesting season begins earlier
in the Lakes region than in other parts
of the Maritimes, possibly due to the Lakes’
unusual run of spring-spawning herring.
Bald Eagle nests are also scattered throughout
the Antigonish and Pictou areas and are
becoming increasingly common much further
to the west and south.
Bald or Golden?:
Some Bras d’Or birdwatchers mistake
Bald Eagles for the much rarer Golden Eagle.
Since actual sightings of Golden Eagles
in the area rarely number more than 2 or
3 per year, dark-headed eagles seen in the
area are more likely to be immature Bald
Eagles that have not yet developed their
characteristic white feathers.
Bras d’Or Birdwatching Tip:
Salt Mountain Look-off, just east of Whycocomagh,
at the western end of St. Patrick’s
Channel, is one of the best places to look
for eagles.
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