The Eagles of Hornby Island
by Douglas Carrick
FinishedEagles of Hornby Island
For the second time this year I found myself on one of the Southern Gulf Islands reading a book by a local author. This time it was Hornby, a small island accessible from Vancouver Island by a ferry (not just any ferry but a cable ferry) before driving across Denman Island and catching one more ferry to the final island destination. Hornby surpassed expectations and has natural beauty that far outpaces it’s relative small size.
Eagles of Hornby Island sat on my shelf for a few years and I brought it along to crack open while the baby napped and before bed. I’d describe the book as a rambling citizen science / naturalist / slice of life tome, one in which Douglas Carrick puts his best foot forward to write a book to the best of his ability.
It’s an endearing little collection of anecdotes, anecdata and light-hearted opinions held by Doug on the topic of eagles. His passive interest in the birds slowly morphed into a scant obsession with his large feathered friends and it’s charming that Doug was able to collate all there was to say about the things he learned living so close to them.
The final quarter of the book recounts the rush of attention Doug and his collaborators received upon placing a camera into an Eagle’s nest and broadcasting the images on the internet. The year was 2006 and the novelty of beaming real life images across the globe was intoxicating. Millions of people viewed his cameras during the Eagle’s season.
It’s curious reading Doug’s hesitancy upon being presented with this new-fangled technology with which he can share his passion. He includes a handful of inspiring, touching quotes from viewers. Doug has no experience with technology and is hesitant about some of the intricacies of making the stream work. It seems as though he would be happy if the eagles were to remain on his CRT TV in the centre of his living room. It appears to be a unique idea to all involved.
At one point the ISP hosting the cameras adds adverts to the site without Doug’s permission. Doug then receives negative feedback that hits him hard and his regret at potentially disrespecting his audience’s trust in the project is palpable.
After finishing the book I tried to look online to see if any other seasons were filmed on Hornby since 2011. In the book, Doug notes that they were unable to repeat the exercise the following year. A few news sites note the return of the feed but despite some fishing on Google I couldn’t find any evidence apart from a handful of Youtube videos from six years ago, mostly failing to get more than a few tens of viewers. http://www.hornbyeagles.com fails to resolve.
Eagles of Hornby Island appears active on Facebook but on closer inspection but it’s swamped with pseudo-viral TikTok slop.