Various Hancock Wildlife Research Center Projects:

The Hancock Wildlife Research Center Web site is my personal site for discussions about my interest in bald eagles and other wildlife issues. From time to time we attempt to update the site about various Bald Eagle Festivals, projects we support, pertinent eagle issues and biology. For example: --- read more --->>>

Coincidentally with David posting his need for an Osprey book (see the new Osprey topic) I was off on my "Longest Day of the Year" motorcycle ride through Southern BC - actually 2 days this year. The idea is to get on my Goldwing early in the morning and ride until I drop - stay the night where I stopped, and do the same thing back to home - via a different route.

This year I rode up Highway 99 through Whistler, Pemberton, Lillooet, to Cache Creek. While passing through Marble Canyon (between Lillooet and Cache Creek, near Hat Creek) I spied an Osprey nest on a Hydro pole - one of their favourite nesting places.

I stayed the night in Sicamous (sick-a-moose) and then headed down to Vernon, Enderby, Armstrong and beyond. The farthest East I got was Creston before I headed back home along Highway 3 that sort of follows the Canada/US border.

Metal Animation Studio Inc. (formerly Masterpiece Stainless Creations Inc.) is very pleased to present "the world's largest steel bald eagle sculpture", a masterwork by artist Kevin Stone, titled "Power and Authority."

Bald Eagles: ----- Constructing Artificial Bald Eagle Nests to Expand Nesting Range

The Bald Eagle has invaded the Vancouver BC urban area. In the past years, lacking adequate tall trees sturdy enough to support their bulky nest, the eagles has started to nest in man-made structures.

Do you want a Bald Eagle Nest in Your Yard? In your neighborhood Park?

If so we can now put it there!

An article on Nikon's web site says that they (Nikon) are stopping production of most of their 35mm film and larger format cameras. Only the F6 will be available (in Europe and North America) and the F10 mechanical in the rest of the world along with a small number of manual lenses. The assumption is that only their newer lenses that are compatible with the likes of the Nikon D70(s) and D50 and D100 etc. will be available. The ones I lust after :)

Note that while I was doing a bit of research for this article, I came across the fact that they have a recall for the battery that I use in my D70 - the EN-EL3. See the note at the Nikon USA web site I phoned the Canadian support number and find that I can exchange it at their Richmond BC location rather than sending it in via snail-mail.

I have written elsewhere about "bit rot", or the disasterous degredation of recorded digital media, either through actual deterioration of the medium, or through obsolesence of the technology.

In this article I'm concentrating on the most typical storage medium for digital photos today, the CD/DVD.

We all use CDs - either by getting them produced from our film at the processing lab, or because we just don't have enough hard disk (or reliable enough computers) that we feel confident of keeping our precious photos safe "online".

When CD-Rs were first proposed as a consumer digital storage medium some seventeen years ago in 1988, they rode on the coattails of the original "pressed" CDs introduced a few years earlier as a distribution medium. The pressed CD is touted as having a longevity measured in centuries. The problem is, many CD-Rs we can purchase at the local computer supply store will last only from as little as a year to the typical 5-10 years; far shorter a period than most people expect. DVD-Rs (DVD-R and DVD+R) suffer from similar problems, so for now I'll lump them all in together - the only point of difference being that if you lose a DVD to age you can lose a lot more photos.

Updated: - reference to article from storage expert "...short life span for burned CDs"

Juvenile Bald Eagle seen Dec 8, 2005 along the Harrison River wearing BLUE wing marker on Right Wing.

Does anybody know about this marking? Where is the eagle from? When banded? We would like to know of your study?

OUr incredibly interested group of eagle followers here on the Chehalis -- Harrison River complex is keeping notes on this bird but we would like to pass these along to the biologist who did the baniding. There are likely already over 1000 eagles on the river today and the numbers will likely double by early January. My point is our group of eagle watchers could provide various studies with some interesting notes.

FURTHER REQUEST: --- Eagle Study Clearing House? ---

I would love to offer a site / forum here for anybody to submit notification of eagle studies, your contact details. This could act as a clearing house for observers to hone in on marked birds and who to tell. I havd been given numerous sight records over the years but I have never known where to track down the study supervison and who to tell. This might readily be a possible service here -- and at no cost to anybody. We will provide the Web space.

Please call David Hancock 1-800 938-1114 or email me at: david@hancockwildlife.org

Dec 3/05 UPDATE: a great many responses have come in here (our WEB site) after I posted this item and it was picked up by many press and other WEB servers for distrilbution: This travesty has pricked a few ears and rightfully!

Now newly attachd are the minutes of the meeting between UBC, its realators and the Public at a very "public restricted" meeting.

I see nothing less than saving this incredible piece of land as a Park as acceptable -- the Government ministers must stand up to the plate and be counted!

---{{{{ Seeking to have the new owners show responsibility is TOTAL NON-SENSE! A buck is a buck as we see UBC stating so clearly and unconsciencely. The ONLY solution is total preservation of this site as Parkland.}}}---

DONORS BEWARE -- UNIVERSITY SELLS OFF LAND GIFTS FOR QUICK PROFIT.

NEW PUBLIC MEETINGS CONFIRM THE 'SKULLDUGGERY' OF UBC / ALUMNI TO SALE OF THE HUGE OSYTER RIVER FARM -- undermining the community values of the property.

A November 28, 2005 meeting in Campbell River of the UBC / Realty company and the Community members accentuates the behind the scenes shannigans that UBC has been invoilved in. The minutes of the meeting presented below show:

--- That UBC largely kept the sale secretive from the community.

--- UBC did not even tell its tenants such as the hatchery and numerous community volunteer based organizations using the property of the pending sale.

--- the Campbell River Meeting was not open but RESTRICTED to only 1 member of a few community groups involved in the use of the property or working within the community as a whole.

My conclusion, and I don't have to live in the community and have to face Realators unhappy at the prospects of loosing a jewel to sell or pay dues to UBC greedy policies, is that I want people who might be contemplating donations to the University -- and this might well apply to any University or Alumni -- to give second thoughts to this. Are your donations going to be a continuing asset to the community as you hope or be sold off as some greedy financial manager sees fit? In this case the Oyster River Farm has been a contributor and receipient of hundereds of thousands of hours of donated time and dollars to develop the projects on its grounds. It has been a community asset and should remain one.

Perhaps the government should simple step in and pay the University a reasonable price for the property and turn in officially into a park -- it largely is and has been one for the community for years and should remain that.

The details of the limited access meeting are attached immediate below:

Since the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival is right in my backyard so to speak, I took time away from the computer to ride my Goldwing up Highway 7 to Kilby, on the Harrison River, for the celebrations on Saturday the 19th.

I knew David Hancock would be there at 10AM, but not what for. I was pleased to find that it was to speak at and witness the release of a young Eagle that had been rehabilitated by OWL (Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society.) There was some confusion over whether it was a male or female, however I'm sure I heard the handler refer to it as a male.

The day was perfect and a crowd of supporters and other interested people gathered near the end of Harrison Bay, about 100 yards from Kilby store.

North West Coast Numbers of Bald Eagles likely to be record for 2005-06 wintering.

Most of the entire north, Alaska, Yukon and norther BC is frozen up and the salmon carcasses are already unavailable to the eagles so they have moved south.

BRIEF REPORT ON EAGLE FESTIVALS:

1. Chilkat Bald Eagle Festival: Haines Alaska: Festival is just over BUT the eagles remain.

On Nov 4, 2005, I counted over 2700 bald eagles along the 2 miles of the Council Grounds and perhaps another 2000 were in the valley. This magnificant show of eagles will continue through to spring for anyone still wanting the see the spectacule. Contact the American Bald Eagle Foundation for details and accomodation in Haines. See our site for details.

http://www.hancockhouse.com/research/BaldEagles/Chilkat.htm

2. Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival: Harrison Mills, BC (Just 50 east of Vancouver BC)

The Festival is November 18, 19, and 20, 2005 Come all!

Nov 16 count 1230: 440 eagles

Nov. 17 count 0800: 960 eagles.

Official Count: Nov 19 and 20: projected to be over 1000 eagles present for fesival viewers. The number will build until late January when the birds disperse for nesting -- and having eaten up all the salmon carcasses.

See their WEB site for details of lectures, exhibits, time for release of bald eagle at Native Cultural ceremony etc etc.

3. Brackendale Bald Eagle Festival: Jan 1 through Jan 30, 2006(50 miles North of Vancouver BC

Also projected to be record count as the entire north is frozen up and the food supply sealed under ice --- forcing the birds south (except for the 2 miles of warm water on the Chilkat River Haines AK). see our WEB site for links to their site.

This is great year to see the wintering eagles at the Harrison or at Brackendale. Book a day! Book a weekend and see more eagles than you thought existed!

4. Unknown Eagle: seen at Haines Nov. 13/05 see adjacent Forum items for photos.