I have always wanted to view a juvenile bald eagle up close, and in a week's time I got my wish ... only to see my elation turn to sorrow in the space of only a few short days.
On Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, I saw a sub-adult bald eagle perched on the Toisa Pegasus, a large dive support ship berthed at the Shelburne Marine Terminal (http://www.portshelburne.com/).
Then, on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, I walked out onto the wharf and found the sub-adult trying to steal a fish from a juvenile bald eagle:
Happily, the juvie made a successful getaway with its fish.
After a tiring day at work on Sunday, Aug. 4, I was happy to walk over to the wharf, camera in hand, and spend a couple of hours with this delightful juvie, who hopped from one hydro pole to another, perched a while on each, flew down to the shoreline, looking for the mackerel that are running now, and then flew back up to one of the hydro poles lining the wharf.
Even then, I was concerned. The statistics for raptor electrocution deaths on hydro lines are ugly. Far too many are killed that way, even when the weather is good. However, we had post-tropical storm Hermine headed our way. Because of the ongoing drought here, with many people's wells running dry, folks were praying we would get a direct hit from the storm, in the hope that it would deliver badly needed rain. As it turned out, the storm mostly missed us when it came through overnight Monday to Tuesday morning, but we did get some wind and rain. Wind and rain plus electricity are a lethal combination.
On Labour Day Monday, I walked out to the wharf at 5 p.m. to check on the juvie. She was still there, perched on a hydro pole. Just as she had on Sunday, she flew over to another hydro pole and perched there. That was where I left her at 5:30 p.m., and it was the last time I saw her alive. At dinner that evening with friends, I worried out loud about the juvie surviving the night, but I thought I was being overly nervous.
The world was shrouded in mist when I returned to the marine terminal the next morning at 9:30 a.m. to check on the juvie. As I approached the wharf, my heart fell. Through the heavy fog, I could see a large shape on the hydro pole where I'd last seen her, but there wasn't that clearly defined profile of an eagle sitting upright. As I got closer, my worst fears were confirmed. She was lying on the cross arm at the top of the pole, no movement, wings open and drooping. From down below I could see spider's silk zigzagging all around her, glistening with water droplets. I called our mayor to let her know the situation. Later that day, wharf employees shut off the power so that they could perform the sad task of retrieving the young eagle's body.
A friend who is a retired linesman and saw my photos and videos of where the juvenile eagle was perched, and later died, posted the following comment:
In wet weather, the pole and cross arm become ground potential, and with the high voltage line in close proximity, arc!
You're dead: 14,400 volts
And power (electron flow) can jump a few feet (Cm's)
Always stand back from power lines 30+ feet (10M)
Someone told me, "That's nature." Not exactly. That's nature clashing with human activity and development. When that clash occurs, more often than not wildlife comes out on the losing side.
UPDATE (Nov. 8, 2016): I am happy to report that I just received wonderful news from Julie Ferguson with the Town of Shelburne: The hydro pole on which this juvenile bald eagle was electrocuted now has triangular perch discouragers installed by Nova Scotia Power to prevent this from happening again. Progress!
