The next meeting of the Sunshine Coast Natural History Society takes place on Friday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre in Sechelt.
The topic is Bald Eagles on a Dangerous Flight Path, featuring guest speaker Dawn Laing.
Laing is the bald eagle program biologist/coordinator with Bird Studies Canada (BSC) in Port Rowan, Ont. She will give an illustrated presentation to the SCNHS giving some details about an interesting bald eagle monitoring study that is being carried out by BSC, the Canadian Wildlife Service and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
This study began in July 2004 to determine where bald eagles were acquiring toxic chemicals that shorten their lives. The study uses state-of-the-art satellite telemetry to track movements of juvenile eagles hatched in southern Ontario for a maximum of five years.
Three female eaglets named Olivia, Pamela and Genna were tagged in with miniature backpack satellite transmitters during July 2004. Using satellite receivers to track the eagles, the signals from these transmitters provide data, which indicate their movements as they fly about in North America.
The subject of this presentation should be of interest to all British Columbians, as the bald eagle is a common bird in B.C.'s coastal areas.
