TERF02 (tracked 12/12/2018 - 3/26/2022) - Hancock Wildlife Foundation

TERF02 (tracked 12/12/2018 – 3/26/2022)

HWF tracked bald eagle TERF02 was tagged and banded on December 12, 2018, at the Vancouver Landfill in Delta, BC. He appeared to be male based on measurements taken at the time of banding and that was confirmed by a blood test; his USFW band number is 0709-01987 and he has a more readable black/yellow band on his left leg with the characters C over 7. TERF02 had full adult plumage so was likely more than five years old at the time of banding. There was concern that he might have something plastic stuck in his crop so he was taken for x-rays that showed there were two bones there, perhaps chicken bones; he was kept overnight, and they had passed by morning, so he was released.

Please visit our Hancock Wildlife Forum thread for more information about what TERF02 has been doing since then (he’s been busy!). There is also a summary of his travels for the 3+ years we were tracking him further down on this page.

The photo shows David Hancock holding TERF02; there are two more pictures from his banding day on the forum thread..

Summary of Travels (last updated February 2, 2023)

Received tracker December 12 2018 at the Vancouver Landfill in Delta, BC
Stayed in that area until February 20 2019, possibly based at the Deas Island Regional Park nearby
By the morning of February 21 he was heading north, and by March 1st, he was close to Prince Rupert (750 km or 450 miles from Delta)
He reached the area around Kupreanof Island and Minkof Island off the Alaskan Panhandle on March 5 and stayed in that general area through October 14, not checking in very often because the trackers originally only connected to Canadian cell towers (or hot spots on Canadian boats).
TERF02 checked in on November 21, and we learned he had begun heading south on October 14 and crossed the border into BC on November 20th. I’m not sure what the river or inlet is between Gingolx and Aiyansh – but apparently he knows, and I think it has salmon because he stayed there from November 26 through January 11 2020.
He then headed south, and by January 17 was at the Vancouver Landfill in Delta, where he had been tagged the previous winter; he stayed there through February 29 (so he arrived later and left later than the previous year)
He headed north on March 1st, visiting Squirrel Cove (across from Campbell River) on March 3rd, and almost up to Prine Rupert by March 5th; he stayed in that area for about 10 days, moving slowly north, and had crossed into Alaska by the 16th, reaching his home territory by March 17th.
He stayed in that basic area until November 17, perhaps raising a family, and making some little excursions to explore nearby areas where he hadn’t been, at least since he got his tracker.
TERF02 crossed the border into BC by November 19, and went back to the area where he spent November 26 through January 11 the previous year, which I now think may be the Nass River Valley.
He stayed there through January 21 2021, then headed out to the coast near Hogan Island (a bit north of Prince Rupert) and did some exploring in that area for about 10 days, before heading back towards the Nass River Valley and arriving back near Nass Camp (at the northeast end of the valley, or at least the part of it he explored) on February 4.
He stayed there for a couple of days, then went south to an area just north of Kitimat on February 8, then out towards the coast near Hawkesbury Island for about 10 days, then back above Kitimat for a couple of days, then over to Digby Island beside Prince Rupert on February 24th. What I find is interesting is that this is generally the coldest part of the year, and he’s nowhere near Delta.
TERF02 stayed in the Prince Rupert area through March 1st, and then headed north, reaching the coast of the Alaskan Panhandle on March 2nd, and continuing north until he was at the edge of his territory on March 8; he stayed there a couple of days, then headed south, exploring the area half way between his home territory and the Nass River Valley until April 3rd
He then spent about a week near Gingolx at the southwest end of his Nass River Valley vacation spot, before heading back to his territory on April 12, where he stayed through August 11
On August 12 he headed north a bit, and spent the next 6 weeks across the Frederic Sound, on the coast of the Panhandle, mostly south of Port Houghton, though he did spend some time on the north side of it; he headed back to what appears to be his home territory on September 24.
He stayed there through November 2nd, then headed south, arriving at the Nass River Valley on November 8, and stayed in that area through December 23rd.
TERF02 then headed south, arriving at the landfill in Delta on December 29, 2021, which is where he is as of January 10, 2022.
TERF02 stayed near the landfill through the end of January, then began heading north, crossing into Alaska around February 14; by February 22, he was back in his home territory.
His final data upload was about 9 am on March 26, 2022, from the Stikine-LeConte Wilderness, which I think is considered part of the panhandle, and is on the eastern edge of his “territory” on and around Kupreanof Island. We don’t know what happened – but he’d had the tracker for over three years, so it seems likely that it wore out.