January 31, 2020

The sun was a welcome addition to the day after the weather being overcast most of the week.  It was cold again but without the wind and with the sun it felt warmer than yesterday.

The 8:30 feeding hosted about 60 eagles and upwards of about 20 photographers.  Action was prompt and after a fairly polite beginning the show on the ground was good.

When I arrived for the second feeding just before 10:30 I thought I had slept through the rest of Friday and arrived on Saturday.  There were close to 100 spectators if not more - visitors from Quebec, Metro, Truro, the South Shore and the Bridgewater campus of NSCC.  I was a bit apprehensive about the effect on the eagles but nonetheless I threw several chickens quite close to the cameras and hoped for the best.        

And the eagles didn't disappoint despite being slower than normal to respond.  I counted over 70 and a fellow observer with the advantage of binoculars put the count over 80.  It began with a spectacular aerial display as large numbers of birds dodged each other before swooping down for some chicken.  After 10 or  so minutes the action on the ground began in earnest. The whole show went on for more than half an hour.  One of the best displays this season.

The weather forecast should see us clear the morning feedings without adverse weather.  The storm now appears to strike late on Saturday dropping about 10 cm with a further 3 cm possible for Sunday.  It will be milder than most of the week and both days should afford excellent photo opportunities.

We have cancelled the Shuttle Service from Canning on Sunday as a precaution but all other activities, including feeding the eagles, are expected to go ahead as planned.

As always, please take care when driving and allow extra time to get to the site.

Scheduled feedings for Saturday and Sunday are 8:30 am, 10:30 am and 12:30 pm subject to weather and uptake of the day's earlier feedings.