Surrey residents want eagles’ tree replaced quickly
Birds will need place to nest when they return to mate in October
Residents in Surrey are urging city officials to quickly replace a felled tree before a pair of eagles return next month to find their nest gone.
On Sunday, eagle expert David Hancock led a gathering of concerned Surrey residents in a rally at the corner of Croydon Drive and 20th Avenue where a large cottonwood tree had, until July, been home to a large eagle nest for at least a decade.
The nest was built by a pair of bald eagles that has returned annually to mate, hatch and raise at least two chicks a year.
The birds typically return in October each year.
This year, however, the birds may return to find nothing after the tree was removed over the summer.
“That’s the problem — they will not be able to nest,” said Hancock. He’s urging the city and the landowner to allow for the construction of a new nest well before October arrives.
If the eagles spot humans working in or around the area, they may refuse to nest and there’s no telling whether they’ll thrive elsewhere.
“What you can lose when you lose the tree is you lose the eagle territory. The food is here, but there’s no nest.”
In July, the tree was vandalized by an unidentified individual, who took a chainsaw to the tree’s trunk in an apparent attempt to fell it. No permit had been issued for removing the tree. It was so badly damaged that the city was forced to remove it over safety concerns.
Through the Hancock Wildlife Foundation, Hancock has worked with Surrey and other municipalities to build nests for eagles and to protect them from urban threats such as development.
After the Croydon Drive tree was felled, Hancock said he was told by a city official that an eagle nest would be built before the birds return this fall. But since an initial order in July, Hancock said plans have stalled over what he understands to be a lack of an agreement with the land owner, who is a developer.
“It’s a terrible precedent to set,” said Hancock of losing the tree to development.
Nadia Chan, Surrey’s manager of trees, said the city is still in talks with the landowner and his environmental consultant and that no decision could be made while talks were underway.
She said the city and the province continue to investigate the damage done to the cottonwood. Under city bylaws, felling a tree without a permit could result in a fine of up to $10,000. Under the B.C. Wildlife Act, damaging a bird’s eggs, nest or nesting tree could result in a fine of up to $100,000.
When you lose the tree ... you lose the eagle territory. The food is here, but there’s no nest.”
Eagle expert David Hancock