Destination Eagle
In partnership with provincial and federal governments,
landowners, and volunteers, Bird Studies Canada (BSC) has monitored
the recovery of the southern Ontario Bald Eagle population for the
past two decades. Though a positive trend has developed, there is
some evidence that southern Ontario eagles may have shortened
lifespans relative to other populations, possibly be due to the
accumulation of lead and mercury in their bodies.
To investigate these concerns, BSC, in collaboration with the
Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources (OMNR), launched Destination Eagle in 2004. Using
state-of-the-art satellite telemetry, Destination Eagle tracks the
movements of juvenile eagles over their first three to five years to
determine where these toxic chemicals are being acquired. A detailed
outline of the procedures for tagging eaglets can be seen in the
Methods
section.
During the 2004 pilot season, 10 nests were visited and 26
eaglets were banded, blood sampled, and measured. Of these, three
eaglets (named
Olivia,
Pamela, and
Genna after their sponsor,
Ontario Power Generation) were equipped with satellite transmitters
that precisely relayed their positions every five days. Outcomes
from the first year were mixed: Olivia was successfully tracked over
her first year-long migratory cycle, but Pamelas unit stopped
transmitting in December 2004, and Genna was retrieved deceased in
September 2004. Such grim outcomes are not uncommon, as the survival
rate for juvenile eaglets in their first year is low.
Since its launch, Destination Eagle has used satellite
transmitters to track a total of
26 eaglets
from southern Ontario, contributing greatly to our understanding of
their movements and habits.
You can follow the movements of our active eagles through BSC's
Eagle Tracker.
