Tornados and other storms - their impact on eagles

While we were at Besnard Lake this year, we had a rather surprising and very unusual sighting of a tornado (top photo). Though the tornado itself touched down, it was over water and there was no damage to people or to the forest.

However, a number of other severe storms did pass through Besnard Lake this year. A particularly bad one on July 23, blew down more than sixty trees on the island where we share a cabin (One of these is shown in the bottom photo).

This year there were three eagle trees (with the nests in them), blown down this year(middle photo shows one). We checked each one, and did not find broken eggs, dead eagles or live young on the ground nearby (though we have found each of these in previous years).

Interestingly, the adult eagles will do an excellent job of looking after live young on the ground after a nest tree blows down - as we have found from following what happens on a number of occasions. So if you happen to find an eagle nest blown down and young on the ground, you can leave them for their parents to look after.

Overall, this year there were 17 nests with young and 23 young raised on Besnard Lake - close to the long run average for the lake.

It might be asked why a doctor and politician is checking up on eagles. We have been following the eagles on Besnard Lake now for 40 years. It is a good way for me, as a politician, to stay connected to what is happening with wildlife and wilderness, and to make a small contribution to our understanding of the boreal forest environment which is so important to all Canadians. This effort helps me in my effort as a person and as a politician to improve environmental stewardship. It also gives me some time to relax and spend time with my family.

This year, of course, was a year with positive news for Bald Eagles - with the population reaching a level that Bald Eagles have now be taken off the Endangered Species List in the United States.