Londoners capture photos of bald eagles from across the city
The majestic bald eagle has become a more common sight in and around London, Ont., now that their population is making a comeback.
The birds of prey, which were considered endangered until 2023, are now growing in population across southwestern Ontario. They suffered a drastic population decline because of an insecticide called DDT, which is now banned. Bald eagles feast mostly on fish, which makes London, with the Thames River, an ideal home during the winter.
CBC London published a story about the increase in eagle sightings, which drew a great response from readers who shared their own photos.
Check out these great shots of bald eagles in the London area:
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Winnipeg Free Press
28-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
US peregrine falcons adapt well to city living as their coastal cousins struggle with bird flu
ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — After rebounding in recent decades due to conservation efforts, the number of once-imperiled peregrine falcons in the U.S. has been dropping again in some places due to the bird flu that has decimated other avian populations in recent years. Although falcons in coastal parts of the country have been hit hard, researchers say others that set up camp in some of the country's biggest cities appear to be thriving, showing the world's fastest bird has acclimated to living among people. They're also amassing fans, as legions of devotees follow along on webcams each spring as the falcons progress from hatching to leaving the nest. 'Wildlife can really adapt to these harsh urban environments,' said Christopher Nadareski, research scientist with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection 'That's the key here, is that despite these harsh living conditions for them, they still find ways to survive.' A rise and fall in fortunes Peregrines are expert hunters who feast on other birds. With large eyes and bright yellow feet armed with needle-sharp talons, they fly to great heights before diving on unsuspecting prey, sometimes reaching speeds greater than 200 mph (322 kph). Their populations declined with the use of the pesticide DDT, which infiltrated the food chain and made their shells too weak to hatch. By the 1960s, peregrines disappeared from the eastern half of the country. But in 1972, DDT was banned, and conservationists began bringing the birds back from the brink. They came off the federal endangered species list in 1999. Nesting pairs in New Jersey, for example, went from fewer than five in 1980 to nearly 45 by 2021. Their numbers began dropping again, though, with the bird flu outbreak. The drop has been particularly severe among coastal peregrines, which feast on ducks, geese and other waterfowl that tend to congregate in great numbers and, thus, allow disease to spread more easily, said Kathy Clark, head of New Jersey's Endangered and Nongame Species Program. Although bird flu is suspected as the cause of many coastal New Jersey nests emptying out, researchers have only been able to recover some of the dead falcons' carcasses, she said, noting that many of those tested positive for the disease. Coastal peregrines in other states, including California and Virginia, have also seen declines, with bird flu suspected. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as New York Department of Conservation wildlife biologist Angelena Ross said enough juveniles are moving into coastal areas to begin replenishing the numbers. Movin' on up Peregrines that made nests among the glass and steel of big cities seem to have avoided the worst of the bird flu outbreak decimating their country cousins. City falcons, which eat songbirds and pigeons among other birds, haven't seen the same declines, Clark said. And they've successfully added buildings and bridges to the their natural habitats, which include places like the Delaware Water Gap and the Palisades overlooking New York from the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Some even made a home on the busy George Washington Bridge, where scientists recently fitted chicks with anklets for tracking. New York state conservation officials estimate that the Big Apple has the largest urban population of peregrines around. 'We're starting to see increases in success so that in New York City, we are at the point where we're probably the most concentrated, populated peregrine falcon nesting in the whole world at this point. We have about 30 nesting pairs,' Nadareski said. 'Symbol of hope' The bird's popularity, tethered in large part to its status as the world's fastest, has soared recently, with thousands following live cams of peregrines around the country. With plenty of downtime between moments of drama — a mauled woodpecker here, a blue jay head there — the chicks start mimicking their parents, flapping their wings and grabbing nest detritus with their talons around May. May is also when East Coast biologists band the birds so they can be tracked. In New Jersey, Wurst and Clark were among the crew that recently ventured high up onto the roof of the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth to retrieve and four young chicks for banding as their parents swooped at them, using feather dusters to ward off the angry birds. Wednesdays A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future. 'Some individuals are more aggressive than others,' said Ben Wurst, a biologist with Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, at a recent chick banding in Elizabeth. 'Normally they just kind of bonk you.' They put the young birds in canvas totes to carry off the roof for a checkup and to attach their bracelets, which have an individual number so they can be tracked. Three females and one male chick made up the clutch, Clark said. 'These birds are going to be the ones to repopulate — hopefully,' Clark said. 'It's a great symbol of hope.' ___ Associated Press videojournalist Joseph Frederick in New York contributed to this report.
CBC
05-05-2025
- CBC
Busy weekend at downtown nest as 4 peregrine falcon chicks hatch
It's falcon season in Hamilton again. On Saturday, four peregrine chicks hatched in a nest on the 18th floor of the downtown Sheraton hotel. McKeever, the mother falcon nesting there since 2022, laid four eggs within about a week in late March. According to Falconwatch, the community group that monitors the nest, says this may be the first time they've recorded a mother's chicks all hatching within the same day. Peregrines have nested at the hotel in Hamilton since at least 1995, and throughout that time, Falconwatch has supervised them using webcams and volunteers who track the birds as they learn to fly, ready to help if a bird is injured or gets stuck somewhere. WATCH | Hamilton peregrine falcons are banded and weighed in 2024: Hamilton peregrine falcons are banded and weighed 12 months ago Duration 1:03 Pat Baker, a senior monitor with Falconwatch — formally the Hamilton Community Peregrine Project — said this year's chicks will be banded later this month. That's a process in which chicks are brought inside and have identifying markers attached to their legs for conservation purposes. Falconwatch has historically worked with the Toronto-based Canadian Peregrine Foundation to do that work. At last year's banding, foundation head Mark Nash said because of monitoring efforts, researchers know urban peregrines are out-producing their rural counterparts. "[Cities] can be and have been a very hospitable place for your peregrines … with a lot of support in-between," he said. Peregrine falcons, the world's fastest animal, were once endangered in Ontario, largely because of the pesticide DDT. The bird of prey is now considered a species of special concern, meaning they could still be at risk but are not endangered. Ontario's recovery strategy for the species includes promoting community monitoring by groups such as Hamilton's or one in Windsor. A Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks page cites a case in which an unnamed partner promoted a volunteer fledge watch and found those who participated "increased survival of young Peregrine Falcons from 47 to 79 per cent in one year." Last year, McKeever and her mate Judson, successfully fledged two sisters: Blakeley, and Stinson. They had a third chick, Westdale, who died from an illness in May before she could fly. Before that, they fledged eight more: Auchmar, Balfour, Dundurn, Wynnstay, Delta, Gibson, Kirkendall and Stipley. Born in Windsor, Ont., on the Ambassador Bridge in 2019, McKeever is named after Kay McKeever of the Owl Foundation. Based in Vineland, Ont., that charitable organization helps owls and other birds of prey who are injured or orphaned. Judson arrived in Hamilton in 2021. He fledged in Buffalo, New York, in 2018, and is the grandson of Madame X and Surge, who nested on the Sheraton for 13 and nine years, respectively.
CBC
17-03-2025
- CBC
London's had green bins for 1 year and people making meals for the homeless say they want in
Sixty per cent of organic waste is being diverted from landfills in London One year into London launching the green bin program that new data shows is being well used by homeowners, groups running meal programs for the needy say they've got a lot of organic waste that shouldn't be going ot the landfill. The non-profit hosting lunch out of St. John the Evangelist Church and Saint Paul's Cathedral serves approximately 400 people weekly, according to organizers, and a lot of compost is created. "The City of London will not give us green bins because we are considered a business," Heather McNamara said. Her group estimates they toss six garbage bags of compostable waste after every meal, three times a week. Residential homes first received a green bin in January 2024, and with the exception of two apartment buildings being piloted for future distribution, homeowners remain the only Londoners currently able to participate in the program. On Monday, a city committee will review feedback on the first year of the green bin program which shows participation rates are slightly above the provincial average. The overall curbside residential diversion of organic waste increased from 51 per cent in 2023 to 60 percent in 2024 in London. The city is aware more people, including non-profits, want to participate in the program but the cost of collecting more green bins, and processing the material is a factor, Director of Environment, Fleet & Solid Waste Jay Stanford said. Watch | Take a tour of the compost depot Media Video | CBC News London : What happens to your waste once it goes in the green bin? Caption: CBC London got a tour of the Convertus facility which will process and manage waste coming from the green bin program set to start in London on Jan. 15. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage. Changes that are being considered, Stanford said, include getting more multi-unit buildings into the program, and allowing Londoners to use the bins to dispose of pet waste. Still, non-profits are not off the table, with Stanford suggesting the city could look at including them in six months time. 'Chomping' for green bins London is facing a well documented homelessness and affordability crisis, with foodbanks and charities at capacity. Some received donations directly from farmers and food rescue groups, and non-profit groups say that sometimes when it arrives, not everything is fresh enough to be served. That only contributes to waste headed to the landfill. The Sisters of St. Joseph, which hosts six community means every week at its Queens Avenue cafe and other locations, said they would "chomp at the bit" to be part of the green bin program. "The sisters have been very interested in taking care of the earth for many years," administrator Michelle Vermeeren said. "So we actually pay a third-party to come and take away our composting." But Vermeeren said that the company won't pick up the organic waste from the Queens Avenue location, so staff try to reduce waste in other ways, often freezing food or using it in soups. "We're very conscious of trying to reuse, you know, make sure that we, first, don't have leftovers, and then…using our leftovers." McNamara noted that some of their volunteers try to reduce the amount of waste heading to the landfill by taking things like eggshells to use in their gardens, or vegetable scraps to feed chickens.
