Drones and birds aren’t playing nice at Eagle Run.
On Tuesday, Eagle Watch organizers Judith Knapp and Wolfgang Pauli raised concerns to District councillors during a presentation about the annual education programming that takes place during eagle watching season each winter.
They are concerned people are inadvertently disturbing the eagles by using drones or getting too close on watercraft.
“The drones can get really close, and I’m sure the footage might be fantastic, but they’re disturbing the eagles,” said Pauli.
“We’ve seen a drone flying by, and then the eagles scurry. You don’t even see the drone until the eagles are flying away and you wonder why — they are pretty quiet.”
“[Young eagles] are very vulnerable,” added Knapp. “We need to protect them. If they’re flying around, get scared, if they’re nervous about a drone, they could hurt themselves with terrible consequences.”
Brackendale attracts hundreds of bald eagles each winter, travelling south to Squamish for the plentiful salmon runs from November to February.
Knapp said many people don’t realize how fragile the eagles are – only one in four makes it from adolescence to adulthood. In the winter, the birds live in a delicate balance of conserving energy in the cold and finding enough food.
Using up energy during a panicked getaway could threaten an eagle’s life, according to Knapp, and despite their size, they can be easily disturbed.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman suggested staff should look into any upgrades needed to improve protection at Eagle Run, including anti-drone signage.
The use of drones is already restricted in the 5.5 km area surrounding the Squamish Airport in Brackendale, according to Transport Canada’s recently updated rules. Aircraft are also restricted from flying closer than 75 metres from people, vehicles, buildings and animals – including eagles.
The B.C. Wildlife Act also allows conservation officers to hand out fines to people who are disturbing wildlife.
“Drones are a new danger because they are getting so powerful that we look around and we don’t know who is controlling it,” said Pauli. “We’re all curious, which is great, but there comes a time when curiosity kills the cat.”
Knapp said while local rafting companies have been good partners, the eagle watch volunteers have seen people using paddleboards to reach the island where the eagles gather.
When the water is low, people also need to be wary of letting their dogs invade the eagle’s space.
“You need to be respectful of the birds,” said Knapp. “People just want to see the beauty, but they may not realizing they are disturbing them.”
