Bald Eagles In Newfoundland

[Peter Emberley]

HUNTING AND TRAPPING GUIDE 2010-11

Be Safe and Be Seen: Wear Blaze Orange While Hunting!

Bald Eagles in Newfoundland

Highly visible and at the top of the food chain, bald eagles are good indicators of ecosystem health, particularly in coastal environments.

Through the years the Wildlife Division has conducted or supported various work on bald eagles. Some of the past

and present projects include ‘Eagle Watch’ - an opportunity for public eagle monitoring, toxicology and nest site selection studies

in partnership with Memorial University of Newfoundland, and eagle surveys with support from the Department of Natural

Resources.

Eagle surveys have been conducted since 1983. The majority of survey work has occurred in Placentia Bay, home to one of

the largest populations of bald eagles in eastern North America. Surveys have provided a long-term dataset by quantifying

trends in eagle populations over the last 20+ years. But a number of questions still remain. Given that Placentia Bay remains

ice-free all year and is also an area of high industrial activity, how important is this bay to breeding and wintering populations

of bald eagles from across the Island of Newfoundland? Another intriguing question is whether the eagles of insular

Newfoundland migrate or remain here year-round? If eagles do not leave the Island then we may have a unique subpopulation

here.

To help answer these and other questions, five eagles were affixed with GPS satellite transmitters between 2008 and 2009.

GPS satellite technology allows the Division to accurately track eagles, giving us a clear understanding of locations, seasonal

movements and habitat preferences. The first wild eagle to be tagged was an adult male caught near North Harbour in

Placentia Bay. This eagle was affixed with a transmitter numbered 81052. Once affixed, transmitters allow daily monitoring of

movements via satellite downloads. 81052 did not take long to provide some new insights into the lives of Newfoundland eagles

- leaving Placentia Bay in the fall of 2008 and then traveling around the Island in one month! Along with data from the other

four tagged eagles, there is now evidence that adult eagles remain on the Island year-round and that inland sites, likely related

to the availability of gut piles and remains from hunter kills, are a significant attraction for these birds outside of the breeding

season. Though capable hunters, eagles are also opportunistic feeders. As such, eagles fill an important role as scavengers

by reducing the amount of carrion left on the landscape.

Once again in the fall of 2009, and coinciding with the opening of the big game hunting season, 81052 went inland. This time

he traveled north past Gander. Near the end of October information received by satellite indicated the bird’s transmitter had

stopped moving. Subsequent investigation revealed that 81052 had been shot. The glimpse into this eagles’ life had come to

an end.

Hunting and conservation go hand in hand. The majority of hunters have a great respect for the natural environment and the

animals in it. There are still a few people out there, however, who shoot at things they should not shoot at and do enormous

damage to the image of hunters and hunting overall. It is an unfortunate reality and hopefully this last piece of information provided

by 81052 will help discourage such irresponsible actions in the future. People who enjoy the opportunities that our natural

environment provides are also in a position to be stewards of the land. One way to fulfill this role is by reporting observations

on habitat changes, species occurrences and illegal activities to local authorities.

It only takes a few to make the many look bad. Courtesy of Hunting & Trapping Guide 2010-2011