Port Edward Cannery and some Eagles

June 19th - On the way into Prince Rupert we made a short detour off Hwy 16 at the Port Edward exit.  6k beyond the turn-off we came to a complex of old cannery buildings.  This Heritage Canada site was home to a thriving, mainly salmon fishery in the early to mid 1900.  Preservation work is underway to prevent the buildings from further decay.  Tours are offered except for Monday. Unfortunately this is a Monday so we did not get to see much of the site.  I posted a couple of photos in this post to give you a sense of what it still at this site.

We made our way back to Hwy 16 and headed to Prince Rupert, but we had one more detour to make and that was to Ridley Island. Once back on Hwy 16 it was only a couple of K to the turn-off to Ridley Island.  We proceeded about 5K down the road only to be stopped at a Security gate.  Beyond the gate is the Canada Border Services Central Examination Warehouse, Ridley Island Grain Terminal, Ridley Island Coal Terminal and an assortment of other bulk storage and shipping facilities.  When Dana and I left Prince Rupert in 1984 Ridley Island Terminals were just getting started.  33 years later it is a world class bulk storage and shipping facility seeing some of the largest bulk ships arriving to export grain, coal and other stuff to countries around the globe (mainly Asia).

A little more than halfway back to Hwy 16 a sign reading “Prince Rupert Landfill” caught my attention.  Birders will immediately understand why.  For non-birders please understand that Landfills offer more than an opportunity to dispose of unwanted items. These locations are excellent habitat for birds, mostly large birds.  No telling what might be found at the Prince Rupert Landfill site. We pulled up to the entry scale.  The attendant in the building greeted us with a somewhat puzzled look as we for certain did not meet the profile of waste dumpers.  I told the attendant that we had not trash and that we are birders.  He immediately recovered and said, “Oh.  Okay, just park over there and obey to the signs that say “do not proceed past this point”.  This was a long preamble so I will keep the rest short.  What did we find?  Eagles.  Lots and lots and lots of Eagles.  The photos below will tell you what you need to know.  15 minutes later we were back on the road to Prince Rupert.  Oh, did I mention that it was raining?  Surprise, surprise…..

Enjoy the photos!







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