Thanks again to Lafarge Canada Inc. - they've purchased another camera and mounted it on their "sand tower" to the East of the nest tree. The current position is temporary while their machinist makes up a mount extension to position the camera more to the South and higher to escape another branch that has grown on this impressively surviving tree in their concrete yard on Vancouver's waterfront.

The fact this tree is growing so well is a tribute to the work Lafarge has done to halt the erosion around its roots and preserve it from further damage now that they have their plant on the property. The problem is that until we can get a camera mounted in the tree (hopefully after the chick fledges near the end of the summer) we have to rely upon looking through the tree's canopy at the nest. The original camera, situated on the newly installed feeding platform to the West of the tree, has been largely blocked by new growth and we can't get at it to move it until the eagles leave for the salmon spawning season.

The new Axis Q6032 camera should be operational on our site some time in the next few days - possibly before the mount has been changed. In the mean time I've pulled some still images from it to give you a flavor for the view it presents. You can see them in the Media gallery album and some slightly different ones in the discussion forum for this nest.

The eagle nest in downtown Vancouver, on the waterfront in the Lafarge concrete plant, has its first chick of the season. We've watched as three eggs were initially laid, then one disappeared in a major wind storm - and now the first of the remaining two has hatched.

The camera view is somewhat blocked by a new limb on this potentially endangered tree - proving the work that Lafarge undertook to save and protect it has done an admirable job.

The chick can be seen as a grey fuzz-ball in the picture to the left. More pictures are being grabbed by our volunteers and members as the parents continue to keep it and the other egg warm. Shortly they'll start feeding this new addition to the family and we'll get to see it better. Check out the media gallery area where more images will be uploaded as time goes by.

We'll keep you updated on the progress of this chick and the other egg. 

Thanks to all our members (especially gemini and birdofprey) for their quick fingers in grabbing these images.

David Hancock of the Hancock Wildlife Foundation says two eagles living along Vancouver's waterfront have an impressive track record for rearing young. April 9, 2010. (CTV)

By: ctvbc.ca

Date: Friday Apr. 9, 2010 6:39 PM PT

Bald eagle chicks will be hatching all around the south coast in the coming days — some in more unusual places than others.

For years, two eagles have made their nest in one of the few remaining trees along Vancouver's industrial waterfront. Even though the area is noisy, they keep coming back.

Read the rest of the story here:

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100409/bc_eagles_100409/20100409?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

Just over a year ago, management of the Lafarge Concrete plant on Vancouver's waterfront contacted David Hancock with concerns about an eagle nest tree on the edge of their property. The surrounding trees had been removed and this lone tree stood next to their mix-plant, and they were concerned that the tree might suffer damage in the future, even though it is somewhat sheltered by the nearby gravel conveyor tower. Was there anything they could do to keep this pair of nesting eagles in the area?

At David's suggestion, and at fairly great expense, Lafarge has erected a feeding tower next to the nest tree. While it is hoped that the tree itself will continue to be the nest site, the tower provides an alternative in the event the nest tree is damaged, and having it there for the coming seasons will get the birds used to it.

Lafarge staff also created a block wall around the tree and the feedng platform / nesting tower to protect them from the trucks that are in and out of the plant during operations and, at David's suggestion, they've also installed a remote PTZ camera on the tower overlooking the nest. That camera is about to go into operation on our site here.

The images from the camera are excellent. The camera is now online - check it out here

CBC News Story and reporter Theresa Lalonde's Blog Item