Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Bald Eagle Flies


IMG_1457, originally uploaded by Broompl.

Bald Eagle


It's wonderful to see evidence of bald eagles which are making a resurgence around the country.

2 comments:

Broompl said...

Cheers... It was a great day for Bald Eagles, I saw four of them, two immatures and two adults all within three hours.

Tracy Lee said...

Wonderful!!

I was just researching the NH Winter Backyard Bird Survey (Febraury 10 & 11, 2007) and the US Winter Backyard Bird Survey last week and I found this interesting press release:

From NH Audubon:

Despite Mild Weather, Bald Eagles Show Up in Mid-winter Count

Concord – Despite unusually mild weather conditions in December and early January, New Hampshire Audubon biologists report that bald eagles still showed up in good numbers for New Hampshire’s annual Mid-winter Bald Eagle Survey. This year's coordinated statewide count took place on Saturday, January 13 (except in the state’s Lakes Region, where it occurred on Thursday, January 11). This was the 27th consecutive year that N.H. Audubon has conducted the Mid-winter Bald Eagle Survey (since 1981), which is part of a broader nationwide effort. Throughout the history of this count, the state’s wintering bald eagle population has generally increased. On survey day in 1982, biologists and volunteers located only two bald eagles in the Granite State. Ten years ago, in 1997, observers found 24 bald eagles on survey day. This year, 91 volunteer observers located a total of 42 bald eagles in New Hampshire on survey day, down just slightly from the record-high of 44 eagles observed in 2006.

“With so much more open water habitat available this year, we anticipated that the eagles might be spread out over a larger area and therefore more difficult to locate,” noted Chris Martin, Senior Biologist for N.H. Audubon and the coordinator of the state’s count. “But light winds and a lack of precipitation on survey day made it easier for our observers to spot the birds in the survey areas.” The official mid-winter count day occurs within a more inclusive two-week "count period," which this year ran from January 3-17. N.H. Audubon also keeps records of the number of eagles seen during this two-week interval, arriving at an overall count period total by combining survey day data with any additional individual eagles that are distinguishably different and seen during the weeks before and after the survey day. During this year's count period, a total of 50 bald eagles were tallied, roughly 10% less than the N.H. mid-winter count period record of 55 bald eagles recorded each of the past two years.

During the survey, bald eagles were distributed primarily along major rivers, large lakes, and in tidal areas. The following is a breakdown of the distribution on survey day and during the count period:

Androscoggin River:
A total of 10 bald eagles were seen, including nine individuals seen on survey day, plus one additional eagle confirmed during the two-week count period.

Connecticut River:
A total of 12 bald eagles were seen, including 11 individuals seen on survey day, plus one additional eagle confirmed during the two-week count period.

Great Bay/Coastal:
A total of eight bald eagles were seen, including six individuals seen on survey day,
plus two additional eagles confirmed during the two-week count period.

Lakes Region:
A total of eight bald eagles were seen, all eight individuals seen on survey day.

Merrimack River:
A total of 12 bald eagles were seen, including eight individuals seen on survey day, plus four additional eagles confirmed during the two-week count period. N.H. Audubon staff and volunteers monitor wintering eagle abundance and distribution throughout the state each year during the period from December through March under a contract with the N.H. Fish and Game Department's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program. N.H. Fish and Game lists bald eagles as Endangered in the state, and they are currently classified as Threatened at the federal level. In 2006, biologists documented 12 breeding pairs in New Hampshire. Winter populations are higher because winter conditions in Canada force the birds south in search of open water, food, and shelter. N.H. Audubon will conduct another eagle count at the end of February to document the abundance and distribution of bald eagles in the state near the end of their wintering season. The 2007 Late Winter Bald Eagle Survey will take place on Saturday, February 24, 2007 (except on Thursday, February 22, 2007 in the state’s Lakes Region).

About New Hampshire Audubon
New Hampshire Audubon is an independent statewide membership organization whose mission is to protect New Hampshire's natural environment for wildlife and for people. It operates five nature centers throughout the state that provide educational programs for children and adults. It is also involved in statewide conservation research and wildlife monitoring projects, protects thousands of acres of wildlife habitat, and advocates for sound public policy on environmental issues. For information on New Hampshire Audubon, including membership, volunteering, programs, and publications, call 603-224-9909, or visit www.nhaudubon.org.


There was also an AP article which is posted at boston.com:

N.H. has good bald eagle showing

January 24, 2007

CONCORD, N.H. --New Hampshire's skies have a strong population of bald eagles, bird watchers said.

Biologists found 42 eagles during an annual survey and the numbers keep getting better, according to a New Hampshire Audubon report released Wednesday.

The group's senior biologist said the number was surprising, given the mild winter.

"With so much more open water habitat available this year, we anticipated that the eagles might be spread out over a larger area and therefore more difficult to locate," Chris Martin said. "But light winds and a lack of precipitation on survey day made it easier for our observers to spot the birds in the survey areas."

Most of the eagles were found along rivers, large lakes and along the coast. Many of the birds come from Canada, where winter weather forces them south in search of open water.