Starving eagles fall from sky in Canada
Bald eagles in British Columbia are starving, wildlife experts say.
February 25th, 2011
08:07 AM ET

Starving eagles fall from sky in Canada

Bald eagles are falling from the sky dead of starvation, wildlife experts in western Canada say.

Eagles that depend on late fall salmon runs to provide enough fat to get them through the winter are starving on account of poor runs last year, Maj Birch, manager of a bird rescue facility, told the Victoria Times Colonist.

The Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society shelter in British Columbia has treated about 20 birds this year, Birch said.

"This is the most we have ever had," Birch told the Times Colonist. "Many of them are downed before they are brought in. They are on the ground and they're too weak to fly away.

"Some of them are actually falling out of the sky. One of them slid off a roof yesterday."

Thousands of hungry eagles are flocking around landfills, competing with seagulls and often being poisoned by the scraps and rats they find there, biologists told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

A herring run due to occur in early March should provide relief for birds that can hold out that long, Birch told the Campbell River Mirror.

"Then everybody will have a feast," she told the paper.

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Filed under: Animals • Canada • Eagles • Environment
soundoff (370 Responses)
  1. Larry

    tuna is 89 cents a can at extra-foods. has been for years!

    February 25, 2011 at 8:07 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Mr_Crowley

    Daniel 6:15-16 .. "After thou hast the b0wel movem0ntum taketh a cob of the corn plant and clean upeth you animus maximus." . And the lord smiled and was happy

    February 26, 2011 at 11:46 am | Report abuse |
  3. kim

    Yep its the palins fault and people like her who else but those witches.

    February 26, 2011 at 12:05 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Marcia

    I don't like to see anything die or be killed. But that is part of nature that we cannot do anything about. One thing human beings can do is leave something for the other creatures on this earth. If the salmon cannot survive without some predation, I would rather let the eagles and bears have them.

    February 26, 2011 at 5:31 pm | Report abuse |
  5. RUFFNUTT

    these eagle are hungry...give em some rats...or cats...

    get some cats from the local shelter and instead of putting them to sleep..put them on a leash close to the eagles

    February 26, 2011 at 6:50 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Cesar

    So surprised

    February 27, 2011 at 12:09 pm | Report abuse |
  7. April Reeves

    Until we see a report on what is killing Eagles, it may be wise to assume any and all things could be contributing. Such as the pesticide increases, that change the internal system of the bird and shut down many of the ways eagles absorb nutrients. In our dump area, there are thousands of acres of pesticide farms. We had 6 horses die of cancer last year alone, within a one kilometer radius. They all looked emaciated when they finally died. Same?

    February 27, 2011 at 1:48 pm | Report abuse |
  8. imjoeimcdn

    I don't believe it. Just google salmon run Canada. The Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society must be on a major fund raising drive. Organizations do them selves a great disservice by exaggerating things. Look at what happen to climate change.

    http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/14364
    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012724093_frasersockeye.html
    http://crosscut.com/2010/10/28/environment/20283/The-mystery-of-Canada-s-huge-2010-salmon-runs/

    February 27, 2011 at 9:17 pm | Report abuse |
  9. SmarTPants, BC Canada

    Some of the comments I have read seem to be too cerebral. Chum fish (salmon) are the lowest on the totem pole. Just above the Chum are the Pink Salmon. Their swim up the rivers is short (in comparison to the Sockeye) and in shallow water to spawn. The Sockeye Salmon are the farthest running up the rivers. Great salmon runs can be seen going up up the Frazer River in Vancouver, BC. to spawn. The eagles here eat Chum and Pink (on Vancouver Island (Victoria). Chum fish, etc., spawned and die. Usually we can see for example, Victoria, BC, Vancouver Island, hundreds of dead chum and pink salmon along the sides of the Goldstream River banks and on the Cowichan River banks in Duncan. Yes, we do have a lot more rivers here where the salmon and other fish spawn. First Nations catch some of the Chum for smoking (chunks of fish marinated in a brine for a few days or so to get the moisture out, slowly cook/smoke with variety of wood chips, in a smoker/barrell until done – best is dry and candied, YUM. Most people don't like to eat Chum and only do if it was smoked and dry/moist. For some unknown reasons the Salmon numbers were far less this year and the rivers were much higher and faster in Oct. Nov. than normal. Plus in December, lots more rain! The dead fish decompose and wash away to the ocean. If the eggs get washed away, we'll know when the specific salmon cycle comes around. 2yrs/3 yrs/4 yrs. No eggs, no fish. No fish, eagles and other birds, bears etc. get really hungry. Clear as mud, eh?

    March 1, 2011 at 8:20 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Mauhima

    Rant, rant, rant...all of you just like to listen to yourselves talk.

    March 2, 2011 at 3:13 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Reasons

    Ironic, In Washington State we had the highest recorded salmon run since records were kept at the Bonneville dam starting in 1938..."About 250 miles upstream, the sockeye count over Priest Rapids Dam is more than 350,000. That is significant because Priest Rapids is the first Columbia River dam past the Snake River and means hundreds of thousands of sockeye are headed to rivers and spawning lakes in north central Washington and British Columbia."

    March 2, 2011 at 6:35 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Brian61

    Amazing how many on this thread want to blame humans for all changes in nature. So, tell me, dear earth moms, who did the dinosaurs blame when they all got their tickets punched?

    March 8, 2011 at 2:32 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Magasin Chaussures de Foot Pas Cher

    The truth accord foresees the needs of other useful and not just predicate it happens to be own.
    Magasin Chaussures de Foot Pas Cher http://www.basketnike2013.com/

    October 13, 2012 at 10:15 pm | Report abuse |
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