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Eagle survey still in need of 'watchers'
Reporting balds, goldens crucial this time of year for project
BY ANNE ADAMS • STAFF WRITER
MONTEREY - What started as a relatively informal tally of Highland County eagles is gearing up for its third year in action. The Highland Eagle Survey, coordinated by Patti Reum of Hightown and Sandy Hevener of Blue Grass, has two complete years of data in hand. But, the ladies say, they're still in need of residents to report eagles they see, particularly this time of year.
"It is crucial to report this time of year," Reum said, "because prenesting behavior starts in February. We begin to see mature eagles flying repeatedly to the same tree or outcropping, and those reporting should watch for eagles carrying nesting materials like a stick or grass in their mouths."
In each of the last 24 months, both bald and golden eagles have been seen in the county. Last year's sighting "hot spots" were the same as in 2006 in terms of location, time of year, and species.
Wintertime is an important time to watch for eagles, as they begin to find places to nest.
This time of year, Hevener says, there is a concentration of golden eagles around Snowy Mountain in northern Blue Grass. The area around Tamarack Ridge, Bear Mountain, and the upper Laurel Fork drainage area below also has consistent golden eagle activity.
"People report more bald eagle activity in Highland County during the warmer months," Hevener said. "They are here all year, but at this time we don't know if the birds people report in winter stay during the summer or migrate. We have one pair reported all year, and two more pairs that may be fulltime residents. We can't be sure of this with only two years of data.
"An interesting discovery is large groups of primary immature eagles that appear in open fields in late summer. You may see pairs of adults or an adult and first-year eagle together other of times of the year, but no large groups. On Sept. 15, some visiting birders reported seeing 11 eagles at one time," she added.
Bald and golden eagles are not fully mature until about five years old, Hevener explained. "As they molt, they change how they look every year until they become adults. A lot of people visualize the younger eagles as smaller than adults. It is a shock when you see a fledgling perched on the rim of a nest and it actually looks bigger than a parent. They are full size when they fledge, but as with most birds, the males are smaller than the females."
Since the beginning of the eagle watch, fewer folks have been reporting in to the survey. Hevener and Reum stressed there are still several "loyal, very good observers," who report their sightings regularly, but without more residents involved, their data doesn't cover as broad an area as they need. More reporters north and south of McDowell and toward the Mustoe region would give them a fuller picture, they said.
"We need to encourage reporting to continue," Reum said. "We need to get new people involved. It makes our data more scientifically valid."
Currently the eagle watch data does not lead to any hard conclusions about the birds' activities in Highland County, but as the statistics build, Hevener and Reum have been able to pull together a baseline as a starting point.
They are pulling in more scientists and experts to guide them, putting a strategic plan in place to set goals, and meeting twice a month to review their project.
Recently, Reum enlisted the help of Dr. Bryan Watts, director of the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary. Watts' involvement is important because only those with special permits may band eagles' legs for tracking. Watts has agreed to bring his expertise to Highland to put that kind of radio collar on eagles to monitor their patterns.
Last year's "Golden Chase" event, organized by Reum and Hevener to gather bird watchers for a specific count on a specific day, helped them raise $7,000 for their work, money they have not yet spent. Teams at the "chase" pledged money, and 800-1,000 requests were sent by Reum throughout Virginia. Reum then asked the Virginia Society of Ornithology to hold the money on behalf of their survey until they were prepared to spend it on other events, education, and special equipment for the work. Just one telemetry unit for tracking an eagle can cost about $3,800, Reum noted.
She and Hevener plan to use part of the money to help trap eagles here, have bands placed on their legs, and then monitor their movements. In addition, they hope to place a telemetry unit on the back of at least one Highland County golden eagle to study its movements and see if it's nesting here.
There was an exciting moment last year when a possible golden eagle nest was found. But after an expert came to inspect, it turned out to be a large, well-used raven's nest. Ultimately, Reum and Hevener still hope a golden eagle's nest will be found, which would certainly draw more attention to the importance of this area for such endangered and protected raptors.
"We're told if there's any place where golden eagles are breeding on the East Coast, it will be found in Highland County," Reum said. "We just have a higher population of them here."
Those who see golden or bald eagles should note the following: Date and time of day, location, species and age (if known), and what the bird was doing at the time. It is especially important to note if the bird was carrying any nesting material. Send the notes via e-mail to Hevener at: hevener@htcnet.org, or call either her or Reum with the information.
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