This week a dying female adult eagle was found in the yard of the property owners where the eagle nest is that had our camera in 2013. The farmers called me asking what to do and I gave them OWL's phone number. One of OWL's volunteers who lives in the Mission area immediately went and retrieved the bird but it was too late. OWL (Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society) thinks the eagle had been poisoned, probably from eating something else that had been poisoned.

I asked if the bird had a leg band and was told no. I remember that the only time an eagle actually came into our camera nest we noticed that it had a band on its left leg. We don't know if that was 'Jack' or 'Jill' with the band, as the nesting pair had been named by the property owners. You will recall that shortly after that eagle was seen on the cam nest that Jack and Jill laid their eggs in their alternate nest on the other side of Lougheed Highway. That was when the geese, 'Bonnie' and 'Clyde' moved in, laid their eggs and raised their goslings in 2013, which they then repeated in 2014 and 2015.

ETA: I just got a call from the farmer with more information. He says that the eagle (Jill ?) had been up in the nest tree and fallen out of it. He found her lying under the tree. He also told me that earlier this summer after Bonnie and Clyde's goslings left the nest that Jack and Jill started coming in with branches. They had built up the nest by several inches giving him hope that they were planning to return to their nest on his property for the coming year. If that is the case then Jack will have to find himself another Jill. Jack and Jill had no visible offspring in their alternate next across the road this year. So maybe they had decided to move back to their former home.

Thank you for explaining so clearly.
At least in that area Jack is more likely to find an unattached lady, when they all come in for the salmon.

I am so pleased to report that Jack seems to have found a new Jill. As David Hancock and I were driving back from Harrison Mills yesterday I spotted an eagle in the Mission nest. I yelled out to David to stop the van so we could get pictures. Then David noticed a second eagle in the tree. Hurray!! This is wonderful news. Hope they will nest here in the spring. Jack's alternate nest across the road seems in much disrepair so likely won't be used.

Karen and Eagle friends,
We weren't far behind you and both Jack and his new Lady friend , who was still in the nest checking out the digs
and Jack perched proud as if to say ( I still got it ) but before I could grab my camera they both flew off together.
Guess we interrupted by parking the boat.
L