B.C. Internet eagle births expected on weekend

Victoria � The births of two bald eagles whose doting parents have been the focus of millions of fascinated Internet surfers is days or perhaps hours away, say those who have been watching the nest and its two eggs for weeks for tell-tale hatching signs.

Up to 100 million people have used the Internet to view two nesting eagles on B.C.'s Hornby Island take turns doing egg duty, which includes sitting patiently for hours and keeping the nest tidy and safe.

Doug Carrick, 73, a retired accountant, set up a hidden webcam just above the eagle nest in a tree in his backyard and his experiment is thrilling a worldwide audience, which is growing by the millions as the expectation of the birth mounts.

"People have a deep interest," he said Thursday. "It's astounding. I've got the camera up so close to them. It's right on them. You can feel their personalities."

The two eagles, with their hooked yellow beaks, sharp eyes and no-nonsense expressions, go about their egg sitting shifts with an almost military-like precision. While one sits, the other hunts.

The images, broadcast on the Internet , are so clear, viewers can see the wind ruffle the feathers of the adult eagles.

"Everyone in the world should see this," said Mr. Carrick, whose camera picks up the sound of the nearby ocean waves, seagulls and barking dogs.

He said he thought he saw a crack in one of the eggs, which would signal one of the chicks is ready to peck its way to life, but now believes its was a speck of dirt.

Mr. Carrick, who says eagles have been using his backyard nest for 17 years, is convinced the births will now happen late Friday at the earliest.

"It looks like it will be at least another day or two," he said.

Mr. Carrick said he's not certain, but he believes the two eagles in his backyard nest are the same pair that have been returning every October for all those 17 years.

But Arthur Griffiths, spokesman for the Vancouver company helping broadcast the Internet images of the eagle nest to millions of people, said he believed the eggs were about to hatch at any moment.

"It's imminent I would say," said Mr. Griffiths, a former owner of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League.

He said the births, whenever they happen, have been attracting interest worldwide.

"We actually had 22 million hits over a two-day period this week. So we're well over 100 million now," said Griffiths, whose Vancouver-based company Infotec Business Systems, has proven it has technology where people can watch the Internet with television-screen quality.
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