Eagle Update

By 250 News

It is now a countdown of hours before  the eaglets hatch.  This e-mail from the  man behind this amazing project, eagle watcher Doug Carrick on Hornby Island :  


On Saturday, April 22, the chick pecked a small hole in the shell which will get larger in the next few days until hatched. I am fully aware that all eggs and all chicks do not survive, but feel that many of the people watching the eagles may need a reminder. And I am thinking especially about the thousands of elementary pupils who have been avid watchers of the eagles. 

Here are the statistics for this nest over the past 16 years: 

On only 4 occasions did both chicks survive - 25%
On 7 occasions 1 chick survived 45%
On 5 occasions no chick survived -30% 

These statistics get worse with aging and these eagles are getting on in years. 

Six years of immaturity plus 17 years of egg-laying equals 23 years of age, with a life expectancy (in the wild) of 30 years. Equivalent to 60 years of age in humans ... if such comparisons have any validity. 

Looking at it another way: 

In the first 5 years these eagles fledged 7 eaglets.
In the last 5 years these eagles fledged only 3 eaglets. 

So the odds of success NOW are even lower than the average numbers provided above. Let's just hope for some success!

Doug Carrick Hornby Island 

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