OT: A Bald Eagle in Calgary

[madmickey]

On my daily bike trip, I spotted a Bald Eagle in Calgary. I have seen plenty of Bald Eagle in US Glacier National Park and in Alaska but there was none in Calgary until 2002. Until today, I did not even know about the Calgary Eagle. What a magnificent animal.!!

[SKORPIO]

The most impressive thing l ever saw flitting about Calgary skies was a man with a rocket pack on his back.Not as majestic as your Bald Eagle but it sure made for a great Stampede.One of the most impressive sights back on the ground was the massive T-Bone steaks that hung over the edge of the plate and the unlimited ice-cold milk on offer to us British soldiers at Camp Wainwright.Such a contrast in lifestyles.Beautifu country Canada.[:)]

[freeboy]

eables and other large birds are sure beatifual and awesome... once in the deserts of Utah my little car got buzzed by a very large Golden.. I think.. it was so low and fast it seemed the size of a small plane!!!!
Why did Calgery not have eagles????

[madmickey]

" By Lee Sollenberger

The magnificent Bald Eagle, the national symbol of the USA, was almost exterminated by DDT in the 1950s and '60s. Since the use of that pesticide was banned in 1972, Bald Eagles are once again being seen where they have been absent for 40 years or more. These birds are primarily associated with water; oceans, large lakes and rivers. In Alberta, during the summer, they are most common in the north and in the western foothills and mountains. At the onset of winter, when waterways freeze-up, they move southward. During migration, and sometimes in winter, they may be seen almost anywhere in the province, particularly where waterfowl concentrations occur.

While primarily associated with pristine wilderness areas, Bald Eagles are tolerant of the presence of man if an assured food supply is available. As a result, in winter, they mainly frequent open water such as at power generating stations and major rivers in urban environments kept open by warm water from sewage treatment plants. In December-January, it is possible to see up to a dozen individuals along the Bow River within Calgary. One pair has taken up year-round residency, now nesting within the city. In 2002 and 2003, the nest was on the Inglewood Golf Course. In 2004, presumably the same birds nested on the west side of the Bow River, opposite Beaverdam Flats Park, adjacent to the very busy Deerfoot Trail highway. This is the first time in recorded history, perhaps the first time ever, that this has happened. Previously the river would have frozen in winter and fewer nest trees might have been available."

http://weaselhead.org/profile/?s=61
Usely not outdoors for long period of time in December to January.

[rtrapasso]

There is some reason to doubt the DDT theory. Retrospective studies were done on bird eggs (mostly on collections from those eccentric British gentry who collected zillions of eggs from their collections in the 1800s). It turns out bird eggs were thinning LONG before the invention of DDT (and are probably still thinning today). Won't go into the causes for this as they are still contraversial.

Probably the real reason for the decline in the eagle population was that every hunter, farmer, plinker, etc. would routinely SHOOT any kind of raptor they saw up until the passage of the Endangered Species act (and even after until a few $20000 per incident fines and a couple of jail sentences got handed out). Talking to some "old timers" who used to hunt back in the 40's and 50's - if you saw a raptor, you shot it. Heck, i had one friend who used to do that until he got a falcon and was into falconry - he couldn't bring himself to shoot a raptor after that. He was out hunting with his bird, and the GAME WARDEN shot his falcon off his field perch (artificial perch, stuck in the middle of a field), blowing the bird to pieces in front of him. THis last event occured AFTER the Endangered Species act was in force.

Of course, the DDT theory being largely debunked is largely ignored by the press, because DDT and pesticides in general are politically incorrect...[8|]

[rtrapasso]

BTW - lots of bald eagles in Southwest CT (Fairfield County) around Newtown (just below Danbury) - at least in the spring.

[Bradley7735]

One day a few years ago I was visiting my dad in Sitka, AK. We took his boat out fishing. I started counting bald eagles. I stopped counting after 50. We had only been traveling for about 30 minutes when I stopped counting.

If you want to see something really cool, just go out and catch a couple of halibut. Then filet them. Then throw the carcases on the beach. Within a couple of hours, you'll have a dozen or so bald eagles sitting in the trees or on the beach. (doing this in Alaska is pretty easy. Doing it somewhere else is a bit more difficult)

Seeing a bald eagle flying up in the air or in a tree 100 feet away is pretty cool. Seeing one within 20 feet is absolutely amazing.

[kaleun]

Of course, the DDT theory being largely debunked is largely ignored by the press, because DDT and pesticides in general are politically incorrect...

I guess you'll probably like "State of Fear' by Michael Chricton. Interesting to see a fiction work with actual references.[:)]

[madmickey]

ORIGINAL: Bradley7735

One day a few years ago I was visiting my dad in Sitka, AK. We took his boat out fishing. I started counting bald eagles. I stopped counting after 50. We had only been traveling for about 30 minutes when I stopped counting.

If you want to see something really cool, just go out and catch a couple of halibut. Then filet them. Then throw the carcases on the beach. Within a couple of hours, you'll have a dozen or so bald eagles sitting in the trees or on the beach. (doing this in Alaska is pretty easy. Doing it somewhere else is a bit more difficult)

Seeing a bald eagle flying up in the air or in a tree 100 feet away is pretty cool. Seeing one within 20 feet is absolutely amazing.

Actually I had a rather unusual view of the Eagle; I was biking on the top of a ridge overlooking the Bow River (near the Beaver Flat Dam area described in the above article). The Eagle was below me (minimum closet distance 10 feet below, 30 feet horizontal distance) for most of it flight. I think it just made a raid on a seagull area as flock (15-20 safety in numbers) of them were on his tail in their version of a Thach weave. For the short period that the bird was above me, the Eagle Talon was empty, it must have drop its quarry. I wish I had my camera with me.

[freeboy]

Hi k, Interesting you mentioneed "State of Fear".. Talking to my wife today while traveling I mentioned that now MC is "out of the closet" in his anti inviro-geek stance.. how many wmore films will he get done by the large studios in Holywood... he could probably produce his own with so many films already doen and somwewhere in the area of 300 million books sold worldwide...

[doktorblood]

Oh great! Didn't he put out the worst movie ever ... Congo?

[Captain Ed]

My wife has an Aviary in our back yard full of Canarie`s one morning I saw a red tailed hawk land on the top that sure shut the little birds up nothing like a raptor around to bring peace and quiet to the neighborhood.[:D]

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: kaleun

Of course, the DDT theory being largely debunked is largely ignored by the press, because DDT and pesticides in general are politically incorrect...

I guess you'll probably like "State of Fear' by Michael Chricton. Interesting to see a fiction work with actual references.[:)]

Haven't read it (yet).

Do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that DDT is a good thing, but it because of other problems, not because of bird shells. However, DDT did save 100,000's of lives in its time to prevent malaria (many of them Allied troops in the WITP theater). There is a school that says it is racist to prevent African countries from using DDT, as it could (probably) prevent thousands of deaths/year there from malaria and other insect-borne diseases.

However, a lot of hysteria attaches to different things in the press. A few years ago, there was a lot in the press about chlorine in the water causing cancer. Some South American country decided to ban it because of these reports. After over 20,000 people died in an epidemic of cholera and other water-borne diseases in a few months, they decided maybe chlorine in the water wasn't such a bad idea, and went back to it (eliminating the problem). Not much press on that little item, either.

It will be interesting to see what happens as endemic malaria returns to this country. Malaria used to kill thousands here in the US. The Erie Canal project was really hit hard by it. Many of the troops in the Civil War suffered from it (Grant and Joshua Chamberlain (of Little Round Top fame) leap to mind, although Grant had malaria before the war (which contributed to the myth of his continuing drinking - he would show up looking yellow with the shakes, and people figured he was still drinking.)

I was alarmed (and surprised) a few years ago when the first cases of endemic malaria showed up in the US. Some boy scouts got it on LONG ISLAND, NY. Endemic (in this case) means they picked it up locally - nobody in this outbreak had ever left the country. They just went camping, and then got sick - from malaria.

And lest you try to label *ME* anti-enviro, i will say i was raised in a lovely little community that was latter given the designation of part of the Love Canal disaster area, and have seen friends and family stricken with cancer, maybe because of this. I am VERY aware of environmental problems, however, i do like to look at as much evidence as i can before making an opinion.

[freeboy]

I think like so many issues there are extreems.. I am neither pro or anti enviro.. rather I try to see the Wize chioce solution.. and agree poluting or land is stupid and wastfull..
Often we get short term reward and miss the long term ill effects of or choices..
Two of my pet peaves are Dams and Mines, both can be usefull but often are tremendiously harmful... it all is in how it is done....

[Drex]

One of the most graceful things I've seen was while taking an airboat trip down the Rogue River in Oregon and haveing a bald eagle swoop down in front of our boat and grab a good sized fish right off the surface. It was absolutely poetry in motion.

[kaleun]

I think like so many issues there are extreems.. I am neither pro or anti enviro.

As a hunter, fisher, skier and scuba diver, I love to have an "intact" environment, but common sense is needed.
People who drive electric cars and think they are avoiding the use of fossil fuels, forget that, unless you live in France (They use nukes) most of the electricity in this country is made with natural gas and coal, so you are actually burning more fossil fuels than you would if you were using gasoline. (For the thermodynamically challenged, every time you transform energy gas to electricity to motion, you actually have a waste due to inefficiency, so gasoline to motion is more efficient than gas to electricity to motion)
When you avoid pesticides (and artificial fertilizers) your yield per hectare is lower, so you actually need more acreage under cultivation, with a higher environmental impact, and so on.
A lot of thought needs to go into all "environmentally friendly" initiatives, and this just doesn't happen. Many of these things get done just on emotion.

End rant.

[freeboy]

here here

[Drex]

All that may be true but it just because you love bald eagles, doesn't make you a environmental fanatic_ or as we call them out here: "TREE hUGGERS".

[kaleun]

Otters and seals are my personal faves[;)]

[Dukemourn]

The hybrid gasoline/electric cars use only gasoline.