Skip to content

Surveyor captures convocation of eagles gathered at Prince Rupert landfill

"They'll kind of hop away and then if they really need to get somewhere they'll take off, up into the air, but it's there," says Eric Miller
eagersinprincerupert
Three eagles near Prince Rupert landfill

A Kelowna survey and design company working in the northwest B.C. managed to capture an amazing nature moment at one of its work sites in Prince Rupert.

Kelowna-based Okanagan Survey and Design's Eric Miller was working on a project near the Prince Rupert landfill site.

"We're doing an expansion project there. I drive up to the top of the hill where I set up my equipment. And I get up there and see some eagles taking a nap or whatever on my tripod, so I grabbed the phone and took a photo of it," Miller says.

The photo was taken just before 8 a.m. on Tuesday and you can see the three eagles perched in a row, but on closer inspection you can see dozens of eagles in the background perched in the trees. One website describes a large gathering of eagles as a convocation or aerie.

"They don't let you approach too closely. They'll kind of hop away and then if they really need to get somewhere they'll take off, up into the air, but it's there. They're pretty receptive to humans at that location," Millers says.

Prince Rupert is well known for its eagle population so much so that one travel website indicates, "you don't need to book a tour to spot an eagle—just look up. Bald eagles are practically as common as crows on the north coast."