Please take a moment to this is something for you or for someone you know.  Details below.

Notification of the Annual General Meeting for the FVBEF Society 

“Everything is not OK.  

For those who think that the huge Sockeye run on the Fraser means all is well with our salmon, think again.  Yes, there were huge returns on this one run on this one river in this one year but it really only points out how hopelessly out of touch we are with what is happening out there.  No one seems to know why this has happened.

What we do know is that the Eagles follow the food and this year there has been plenty to eat where the Sockeye spawned and died so it has been a banner year for Eagles in the Fraser Valley.”

Truer words have never been spoken.

The work that Thor Froslev( proprietor of the Brackendale Art Gallery and festival organizer since its inception) and his many faithful volunteers have done over the 26+ years has been instrumental in pointing us in the right direction. Highlighting how the presence of the bald eagle is one visual indicator of a healthy ecosystem and alternatively how its absence should cause us to further investigate why.  Without the salmon and a healthy ocean it is only a matter of time until all creatures on this planet will suffer.

So please visit Brackendale this January and then come back next November and visit the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival. (Nov 17-18,2012)

“Bald is Beautiful”

Sincerely, J Chadwick (Festival Chair)

On behalf of the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival Society

This is the number one question post festival and I apologize for not getting this up sooner. The eagle numbers in the area actually increase after the festival weekend, this can happen up until even January if the conditions are right.

All the right stuff in 2010-On December 18 David Hancock counted 7362 eagles from on board a jet boat tour, the eagles had descended on the Harrison due to the lack of spawning salmon in the rest of the Province.  Lack of food in other areas and a northern freeze caused the eagles all to arrive at one time which created a wonderous event.  By December 31 they were mostly gone, the raptors had eaten all the carcasses and abandoned the area in search of their next meal.

So…Can you still see eagles. Absolutely!- From the land you can head up Morris Valley Rd and stop in at Sandpiper or Eagle Point. On the other side of the bridge you can travel down to Kilby Provincial Park and take a walk along the dike.  But if all else fails, Fraser River Safari and David Hancock of Hancock Wildlife are out running boat tours until the eagles are gone. To find out more read the news links below or visit www.fraserriversafari.com or call Jo-Anne- MissionTel # 604-826-7361

On our Sunday Dec. 4, 2011 boat tour up the Harrison River the scene had been
almost perfectly set.  As we drove up to Kilby, I stopped at my regular
eagle counting points along Harrison Bay  — just over 650 eagles already
along the beach and trees.   But as we approached Kilby to get aboard
the Fraser River
Safari Tour boat I could already see several dozens of eagles soaring
and streaming in long lines  — just taking advantage of the beautiful
sunny day  — a day for eagles to soar and soar and soar.

Jo and Rob greeted the full tour with the normal emergency patter – where the
lift belts are, when a hot lunch would be served etc. – and then Jo passed the
mike to me  — the honorary tour leader.  And what an honor at any
time to drive up the Fraser or to start, as today at Kilby, on the Harrison
River for such a days outing.  But today, like so many weekends,
seemed to set some incredible record.  Today was going to be awesome just
due to the spectacular weather and my guess that there would be over 5000
eagles in the 3 mile length of the feeding grounds.  Only a few people in
the world have ever seen 5000 eagles in one confined space so even with drizzle
this is incredibly wonderful.  But today the sun was sparkling.

However, todays tour started with an initial “thought of a downer’!
As we came out from under the Highway 7 bridge and looked north into the great
alluvial fan of the Chehalis — where the gravel washed down the Chehalis
Valley and spread out across the valley of the Harrison River, creating the
best locations for thousands of spawning springs, coho and chum salmon  –
I could see a couple of thousand eagles sitting on the gravel bars. My mind
goes to, “will we have more than the 4000 last week or set a new
record?”  But, just in front of the eagles were two kayakers
paddling up the center of the flats.  What a devastation — and
disturbance of these birds essential quiet time for feeding.  Then, as I
feared the worse happened  — the eagles began to rise and depart.
Damn. Not only were the eagles being driven off the feeding and loafing
areas  — a very important need for these great birds –  but we were
going to miss those shots looking west across the flats from the Harrison River
channel.  (See Christophers shots from last week!)

We were following the deeper main channel of the Harrison River to the east and
it just seemed such an inconsiderate kayaker action to drive these birds off
the worlds greatest eagle feeding area. Eagles were flying everywhere. The
adjacent trees for three miles along the shore were ripe with bald heads. The
juveniles sitting in the trees are much harder to see. Then the unexpected
happened.  Somewhere between one and two thousand eagles just suddenly
fused together in great swirling and circling flocks that themselves were
coming together and separating.  This gyrating mass of eagles, the
gathering of 5 or 6 separate rising columns of air and eagles came together in
the largest flock of eagles I have ever seen airborne at one time.  Our
incredibly productive Harrison–Chehalis River complex not only supports the
greatest annual gathering of bald eagles anywhere in North America but probably
has more large birds of prey gathered here than anywhere ever experienced in
the entire world.

So today, while we were still shy of the mid-December count of last winter (I
counted 7362 bald eagles in less than 2 of these same miles from the FRD tour
boat) the numbers are still building and this year the Harrison system has 50
times the number of available dying salmon.  The feast could last for
another month.  The weather will entirely determine whether the dead fish
carcasses slowly drift onto the adjacent gravel bars for the eagles or get
washed out, by more violent floods, to deeper waters where the carcasses are
not available to the eagles. However, in the deeper waters,  as evidenced
by the numerous fish boats, the sturgeon are waiting to gobble up the decaying
carcasses.  Nothing is wasted.

So the trip, and I am sure I can speak for all guests, was an incredible show
of eagles for experienced bird watchers or those just introduced to some of our
natural wonders. The action was so intense I did not undertake a count.  I
prefer to do that early in the morning when the eagles are largely sitting on
the ground eating or in the adjacent trees where I can count them 1 or 2 at a
time.  Counting upwards of 5000 is still exciting — and time
consuming!  One or two thousand flying and gyrating eagles is not an easy
count — besides it was just awesome to watch.

If any of you have missed this local eagle phenomena (and that is aside from
those of you who keep coming!!) you should try and get out before the carcasses
and the eagles are gone.  Our Foundation and Fraser River Safari Tours are
planning two more jointly sponsored incredible tours for this coming and the
following Saturday (Dec. 10 and 17th.  11AM at
Kilby — call Jo  for reservation 604 826-7361).  Make this
your Christmas Gift to be long remembered — to yoiurself or others.  The
boat, featured in many of the photo collections by the guests on our
site,  is fully weather proof and designed for viewing the eagles, swans,
seals etc.

Hope you get to see this incredible gathering of eagles

David hancock

A couple of pics of Nov 2011 tours

*   12% HST included

** with guest speaker David Hancock

How to see the eagles post festival?  You can always stroll down the beach at Kilby Provincial Park, or visit Eagle Point Community Park and walk down to our eagle look-out platform. Why not stop for lunch at River’s Edge Restaurant at Sandpiper Golf Resort and take advantage of their trail down to the water’s edge?  AND last but not least, David Hancock and Fraser River Safari will be out on the river enjoying the thousands of raptors almost every weekend until Christmas and maybe even after. If the eagles are there so are we.

A few pre-arranged dates are Nov 26, Dec 4 and Dec 10. Launch times 11 am from Harrison Mills. Tours are 90 minutes on the rivr with David Hancock, tour of Kilby and a delicious hot lunch served at the Waterloo Restaurant on site. The package price is Adults $120  Seniors $110 and Children $100 (includes all taxes, meals, tips and a donation to Hancock Wildlife Foundation) Tel 604-826-7361  e: info@fraserriversafari.com  or w: www.fraserriversafari.com

Watching the eagles arriving daily by the hundreds is making the committee very hopeful that the weekend is going to be a very successful one!  David will be out performing the official count with other volunteers at sun up- the latest numbers will be displayed at the Exhibitor’s Fair at Leq’a:mel Hall.

The weather report looks promising and the lovely snow is staying high on the hilltops leaving the main roads clear.

Thank you everyone who has worked so hard to pull this event together. CHEERS!

ALSO – David Hancock and Fraser River Safari will be out performing eagles tours well into December. Seats on these exclusive boats are available Nov 26, Dec 4 and Dec 10. 604-302-9579 or info@fraserriversafari.com

Toll Free 1-866-348-6877 Leave a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Jo-Anne Chadwick (Festival Chair) welcomed the group to the 16th Annual Festival and introduced Kelsey and Darren Charlie from the Sts’Ailes Band who performed a more formal welcome to their traditional lands. David Hancock offered a “few words” about the health of the area and the fact that he has just counted over 1200 eagles with his scope.  The largest number he has recorded the week before the annual festival. David is estimating that 500 eagles could be arriving daily now, with numbers expected to peak mid December or when the salmon carcasses become depleted.  And finally the grand finale, “Frank” (impromptu naming situation) was introduced by Bev Day of O.W.L. and with the help of Ralph released into an area that is becoming world renowned for its thriving ecosystem.  Fly wild and free! 

Rob and Sonsie our teaching eagle also made an appearance to entertain the onlookers and school children.

Special thanks to the TD Friends of the Environment for sponsoring the 2011 release!

WEATHER: The weekend weather predictions are changing daily, last year although an inch of snow fell in Surrey we were snowless out here in the valley.

I would say we are as ready as we can be….here we go!