French Creek Estuary Nest Information
French Creek Estuary Land is an incredibly diverse and rich habitat supporting 180 species of birds, 60 species of waterfowl, salmon, river otters, beaver and much other wildlife – and it could become the first Eagle Preserve on Vancouver Island! This nest was built in late summer 2020 to replace a nest tree that was taken down because of safety concerns, but unfortunately the eagles had other ideas and built their own nest that fall, nearer the Marina. That nest failed, and the male may have died in early spring 2021, and by May there was a pair of eagles (possibly including the original female) visiting the nest and doing some work. We had hoped they would move in – but instead they used the nest near the Marina – and successfully raised two eaglets! The camera on the nest they didn’t use has been offline since December 2021 so we don’t know if they visited the nest in 2022.
Updates
Based on local observer reports from previous years, we expect the eagles to return by mid-October.
We have not been able to repair or remove the camera, but do get occasional updates from local observers.
French Creek Estuary Eagle Cam offline
Photo of 2022 French Creek eaglets courtesy of Denise Foster
David Hancock Talks About Building the Nest
Nest History
A pair of bald eagles had been nesting at the French Creek Marina, and successfully raised two eaglets in 2020, but that tree was found to be unsafe in a public place. Happily, Hancock Wildlife Foundation was able to build a replacement nest (funded by property owners French Creek House Ltd.) – and the owners generously offered to fund the installation of a webcam, so we’d be able to see the eagles explore their new home.
2021
The cam came online October 23, 2020, and we occasionally saw eagles visit, but David Hancock reported in early November that the eagles we’d hoped would settle here had chosen a tree 650 feet away and were building a nest. Local observers reported that that nest failed and the male may have died in late March. A pair of eagles were visiting the nest with the camera later in the spring and doing some work on it, so we’re hoping there will be more activity in 2022.
2022
Unfortunately the camera went offline in late December 2021; the tech folks checked all the equipment on the ground and were not able to fix the problem. With thanks to Denise Foster, chair of the Save Estuary Land Society, we did learn that the eagles did not use the nest with the camera, but instead returned to the nest nearer the marina that they had used the previous year – and this year they successfully raised two chicks! We had hoped to try to repair or replace the camera in late summer 2022, but we could not coordinate a climber and the necessary tech team during the brief window when we’re allowed to work on equipment in a nest.
2023
Local observers reported that the pair used their alternate nest and fledged one eaglet.
Please join us on the French Creek Discussion Forum and share your observations, click below.
Thanks to French Creek House Ltd. for funding the installation of this webcam.
Thanks to Shaw Cable Nanaimo for supporting the outbound bandwidth.
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Nest Adoption
2024 Nesting Season – September 2023 – August 2024
This Nest has been Adopted By:
~ be the first to adopt this nest for 2024 ~
Nest Location
Note, the map is for reference only; the exact location is not public to avoid any potential disruptions in the lives of the eagles and those living near them. Thanks!
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