View Full Version : Eagles
When I visited Hawk Mountain Sanctuary's website today, I noticed they set a new record this season with 260 bald eagles observed. I thought eagles and eagle sightings especially those on the A.T. might be an appropriate topic for a new thread. Many of those bald eagles sighted by HMS observers flew over the A.T. which passes through Kittantinny Ridge Important Bird Area (http://pa.audubon.org/kittatinny/), Pennsylvania's largest and maybe most important IBA.:)
See bald eagle life history (http://hawkmountain.org/media/baldeagle.pdf) and conservation status report (http://hawkmountain.org/media/baldeagleCSR_June07.pdf) for detailed information (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).
johnnybgood
01-17-2009, 18:12
Bald Eagle & Pereguine Falcon numbers have been on the rise for the past 5-7 years with increased awareness of their fragile habitats. We now need to do something to protect our large carnivores such as the bobcats,coyotes,and mountain lions whose habitat has greatly diminished due to over development occuring in areas adjacent to our national parks.
Coyotes are increasing their numbers and expanding their range without any help from us. I expect there would be little public support for assisting them.
Peregrines are another matter and may be as great a conservation success story as the removal of our national symbol from the endangered species list.
WhiteBlaze thread recommendation: Peregrines in the Green Diamond! (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24791)
This is a great time of year to see wintering bald eagles along the Upper Delaware River. My wife and I go several times each winter. We've seen as many as fifty in a day. Here's a site with plenty of information and directions: http://www.eagleinstitute.org/
We went eagle watching last weekend and saw 10 or 12 along the Lackawaxen River. I posted photos to Whiteblaze earlier today.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/9/3/6/1/eagles_and_bluebirds_001small.jpg
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/9/3/6/1/eagles_and_bluebirds_003small.jpg
I love Hawk Mountain, it blows me away to see the pictures from days of old when guys were up there hunting with like 200 birds laying around their feet - so glad it's a sanctuary today! Just what were they thinking back then! :)
I've shared a Pennsylvania DEP page (http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/heritage/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=443908) about her with others here before, but I don't recall if I ever posted it where everyone can read it.
During the early part of my hike last year my wife kept herself entertained by watch a pair of bald eagles raising their two chicks at Shiloh National Military Park which is near our home. She saw the parents bringing fish from the river and watched the young eagles as they left the nest. Their nest was/is about 6 feet across and is located about 70 feet off the ground in a large pine tree about 30 yards off the side of one of the park roads. The park rangers roped this area off so no cars could drive thru. The eagles would go about their business with an audience within 100 feet. :welcome
theinfamousj
01-17-2009, 21:28
Not the AT, but I got my first up-close look at a bald eagle (a female, no less) at Grandfather Mountain in NC. Us science teachers were up there for some professional development over the summer. She was stunning and huge.
Nearly Normal
01-17-2009, 21:43
Most predators are on the rise. Less small farm holdings, hunting, trapping, more protection and fewer reasons for people to keep them shot out.
Close enough! to the AT that is.
Two summers ago on a 3,000' Maine summit very near the AT(6 miles as the crow flies)
from down below came a huge bird on an updraft circling upward, rising really fast.
Guy next to me shared his binos for a look, sure enough it was a Bald Eagle.
First one from a mountain top here!
In a matter of a few minutes it had risen thousands of feet.
Okay, Shades of Gray.
What does IBA, stand for, if anything? I don't have a clue!
Weary
Since I seem incapable of removing myself from my computer terminal today, I am able and pleased to answer your question. IBA stands for Important Bird Area.
To learn more about Important Bird Areas, refer to Audubon Pennsylvania's IBA page (http://pa.audubon.org/iba/).
Note: If you landed here seeking information on IPAs we have those in Pennsylvania too, but you'll need to seek information on them elsewhere.:D
Nearly Normal
01-18-2009, 22:08
IPA is tasty.
I've shared a Pennsylvania DEP page (http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/heritage/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=443908) about her with others here before, but I don't recall if I ever posted it where everyone can read it.
Thanks for sharing. As the bumper sticker says, "well behaved women rarely make history."
Hikerhead
01-18-2009, 22:40
I took this picture of a Bald Eagle on the AT just north of Little Stony Man on the AT.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2997494840047269387eioFqd
I once sighted a golden eagle in western Maine near bald pate, and several times have seen bald eagles while approaching the West Branch of the Penobscot River from the 100-mile-wilderness.
But most of my experience with eagles has involved the area of Maine where I grew up on the coast of Maine. Eagles were commonly seen when I was a child in the 1930s at the mouth of the Kennebec river. There was an active eagle nest in the woods near a tidal marsh that abutted land where my cousins lived.
In the 1930s we commonly watched eagles soar above their farm and frequently walked to the nest to check out any babies.
Then right after World War II the eagles disappeared. Some have blamed loss of habitat, but I think the evidence is overwhelming that pesticides and industrial chemicals were to blame -- including DDT.
For one thing the eagles started to return all most as soon as the river became cleaner with the passage of Maine's clean water laws that took effect in 1975. Sadly with the cleaner estuary, habitat continued to deteriorate, as house builders took advantage of the newly pleasant shores of the estuary.
Despite this eagles have returned in force. A nest on an island located a quarter mile from my house has produced off spring almost every year for the past 20 years. Another active nest is located a mile or so up the road from my house.
Other active nests are located every where about the estuary -- which is second in size only to the Hudson River estuary, north of the Chesapeake Bay.
Weary
Of course, weary, we might not be writing what we are here today were it not for Rachel Carson one of Pennsylvania's greatest contributions to conservation.
Wise Old Owl
01-19-2009, 00:17
I took this picture of a Bald Eagle on the AT just north of Little Stony Man on the AT.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2997494840047269387eioFqd
HH I am going to recommend WWW.PHOTOBUCKET.COM (http://www.PHOTOBUCKET.COM) Webshots has a huge wait and occationally fails to load. Its free and it works.
For the rest of the readers I am so glad I am an hour away from Hawk Mountain. If you ever get the chance to be there in Fall please go up the first clear morning after a rainstorm. There is no describing a super highway of birds flying south for the winter. One year we saw "clouds" of hawks, check out a few of my uploaded pictures.
Of course, weary, we would not be writing what we are here today were it not for Rachel Carson one of Pennsylvania's greatest contributions to conservation.
Rachel spent her summers on the next peninsula north of me. One of her earlier books, Under the Sea wind(?) I think, was mostly a description of the midcoast of Maine.
Sadly, I never met her. She is famous for Silent Spring, but she was one of the best nature writers I've ever read.
Weary
I will find the best Rachel Carson link I can and post it here. If I look through my email, I should be able to find a good one I sent last summer to members of the Class of 2008.
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon/carson.html
Is this the Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania? If so, I went to a Civil Air Patrol training school there. http://www.pawingcap.com/hawk/
Eagles suck. GO STEELERS!!!!!!!
Is this the Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania? If so, I went to a Civil Air Patrol training school there. http://www.pawingcap.com/hawk/
You were not far from Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. If you'll refer to the map on your linked page, you will see Hawk Mountain Road which passes between the visitors center and trail to North Lookout.
sheepdog
01-19-2009, 10:15
Michigan has lots of water so it has lots of eagles. This one was in front of my house. It is great to see them.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/4/9/2/0/eagle_1_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=29494&catid=675)
Every fall there is hawk watcting at Raccoon Ridge about two miles north of sunfish pond on the A-T in New Jersey. This fall they logged 140 bald eagles not counting the locals.
Hikerhead
01-19-2009, 19:53
HH I am going to recommend WWW.PHOTOBUCKET.COM (http://www.PHOTOBUCKET.COM) Webshots has a huge wait and occationally fails to load. Its free and it works.
Really? I never had a problem with it myself. It could be on your end.
I thought it was strange seeing it up on the high ridge. I thought they stayed near water and didn't migrate but, I guess some do.
Since we're on the subject of birds of prey, how common are peregrine falcons on the AT? I swear I saw one just south of Blood Mountain last spring, but according to all of my bird books that is not in their range. I'm sure it is possible that my eyes decieved me though.
All my bird books, and all the National Park stuff on peregrines claim they are the size of crows. Maybe they have scrawny runty crows, or the books are off. I have no doubt that somewhere they are the size of crows.
Far as I'm concerned, Rachel Carson is from Maine. :)
All my bird books, and all the National Park stuff on peregrines claim they are the size of crows. Maybe they have scrawny runty crows, or the books are off. I have no doubt that somewhere they are the size of crows.
Far as I'm concerned, Rachel Carson is from Maine. :)
That's part of the nature of great writers -- especially environmental and natural history writers -- they are from every where.
Weary
Far as I'm concerned, Rachel Carson is from Maine. :)
I knew I could count on you! :welcome
Since we're on the subject of birds of prey, how common are peregrine falcons on the AT?
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted the peregrine falcon effective August 25, 1999. All about the American peregrine falcon (http://www.fws.gov/endangered/recovery/peregrine/QandA.html#now) doesn't answer your question, but does provide information regarding numbers. See also All About Birds: Peregrine Falcon (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Peregrine_Falcon.html).
I don't know what status each of the 14 individual A.T. States assign to this species, but I believe it still to be listed by most if not all of them.
Hawk watchers observed 61 peregrines at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary's North Lookout in 2008. Hank and Andrea Southgate heard a pair as they approached Old Speck.
They're not common, but they're out there. Keep your eyes open.
Those who wish to learn more about bird migration should read Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul.
I also recommend Scott's books Mountains of the Heart and Of a feather for A.T. enthusiasts. To learn more about these books, visit Scott's website (http://www.scottweidensaul.com/writing.html).
Ramble~On
01-21-2009, 08:28
Eagles suck. GO STEELERS!!!!!!!
Good to hear coming from a New Yorker !
Eagles...Fontana Dam has a few.
Wise Old Owl
01-21-2009, 10:16
They're not common, but they're out there. Keep your eyes open.
They are rare as can be, last I read there were 11 nesting pairs in PA?
11 nesting pair is better than it was.
Very cool watching them pester a soaring bald eagle.
Or perched on a scrubby tree.
Worth a short trip to go and eyeball.
They are rare as can be, last I read there were 11 nesting pairs in PA?
See my earlier post concerning HMS figures for 2008 and consider most passed over North Lookout during a fairly narrow window. Someone who's determined to see a peregrine on the A.T. could without expending a great deal of time and effort. Go here (http://www.hawkmountain.org/index.php?pr=Raptor_Migration#best%20dates), scroll down to the table, determine the probability of seeing a peregrine on any given day between October 1-14 and consider you could improve your odds by picking a more favorable day. There are other A.T. birds harder to pick up.
Readers may now better understand why Kittatinny Ridge is an Important Bird Area and HMS's North Lookout was once referred to by Roger Tory Peterson as one of the top ten birding destinations in North America!
freefall
03-19-2009, 08:53
Here is a link to a web cam that is watching an eagle's nest at Norfolk Botanical Gardens. She has 3 eggs in the nest and they due to hatch any time now.http://www.wvec.com/cams/eagle.html
I didn't mention it before in this thread, but the pair of resident bald eagles at PGC's Middle Creek WMA (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=33534) were known to be incubating. I saw one of the birds on a recent cold evening spent with PGC's environmental education specialist and other companions from Nolde Environmental Education Center.
The [Hummelstown] Sun reports eagles sighted along the Swatara Creek - that's the stream at Swatara Gap that the A.T. crosses on the historic iron bridge moved down from GET country (Waterville, PA), and where the NOBO gets the last crossing of I-81.
I wonder what Harry Rentschler and Danny Hoch would think of these Blue Mountain eagles? Now, instead of visiting the site of a once-active eagle's nest, today's Keepers of the Appalachian Trail (http://www.berkshistory.org/articles/trail.html) can see our national symbol soaring above it.:)
It was at a BMECC meeting where I was inspired to start this thread by our club's president who was encouraged by Audubon Pennsylvania to help them get the word out about Kittatinny Ridge IBA. I am happy I was able to help in a small way and am greatful for all the contributions.
Audubon's new IBA sign (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=32218) can now be seen at public access areas. I'll post my best photo and substitute a better image when I can.
Since someone may wonder, I'll ask the question. It's an easy one for someone who knows A.T. bird silhouettes.
Go here (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=486&q=152512) to read the above-named article contributed by PGC wildlife biologist Dan Brauning.
In conjunction with its 75th anniversary celebration, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary will be presenting A sense of wonder (http://hawkmountain.org/media/SenseofWonder_Flyer.pdf) on 3 evenings next month. More information may be obtained by clicking on the link provided.
A sense of wonder will be presented at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary next Wednesday at 6:30 PM. For information or to reserve a seat, click on the link in post #44.
"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." -- Rachel Carson
The quote above comes from "Helping your child to wonder," published by Woman's Home Companion magazine not long before she died in 1964. It was republished as The sense of wonder by HarperCollins in 1998. Reviews of it and Rachel Carson's books can be found on amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Sense-Wonder-Rachel-Carson/dp/006757520X#).
I attended HMS's presentation in their Wings of Wonder gallery along with 40-50 others including a scout troop and a number of families with children.
Laurie Goodrich recommended American Bird Conservancy's Pesticides and Birds (http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/pesticides/index.html) for additional reading. I pass along her recommendation to those who might have liked to attend, but were unable for one reason or another. She mentioned kestrel numbers appear to be down 50% and falling, the reason(s) for which are not yet entirely clear.
Since enough light remained to walk to South Lookout, I did and had it all to myself as I often do off-season at the end of a day. I could see The Pinnacle and about as far as Dan's Pulpit, but not much beyond. Fog filled the Eck beyond the River of Rocks and it appeared as if I were looking at the sea.
I thought of the Maine coast and those who live there who contributed to this thread.
Additional information about peregrine falcons is available from PGC (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=486&q=160961).
Wise Old Owl
06-14-2009, 00:31
Most predators are on the rise. Less small farm holdings, hunting, trapping, more protection and fewer reasons for people to keep them shot out.
Huh? What? I fail to see how the two connect.
This was more about Americans stopping the use of DDT.
I fail to see how the two connect.
Did you notice how my PGC link connects you with wildlife, specifically information related to an earlier post of yours? My post adds new information about numbers and distribution specific to Pennsylvania I thought you might find interesting.
Wise Old Owl
06-14-2009, 02:19
Did you notice how my PGC link connects you with wildlife, specifically information related to an earlier post of yours? My post adds new information about numbers and distribution specific to Pennsylvania I thought you might find interesting.
Yes I read it but NN's post was confusing. - DDT, and other related pesticides is the clear problem as other countries are still using the junk.
Today this is the problem in the good ol' USA.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080116/NEWS/801160583
Yes, I read it ...
It might be argued use of DDT is necessary to protect human health in some locations at least until better alternatives are available.
Today this is the problem in the good ol' USA.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080116/NEWS/801160583
That's not a new problem. Unfortunately, it's not possible to eliminate idiocy and even the best possible legislation to protect wildlife sometimes isn't enough.
Check this out. www.shiloheagles.com (http://www.shiloheagles.com)
The following entry was contributed by Bill Urich July 6:
Pennsylvania Game Commission announced that bald eagles have now been found nesting in 49 of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania. To my knowledge, there have been four nests reported in Berks.
Last year, 156 nests were found in 47 counties. Compare those numbers with just the three nests in the state which were found in Crawford County in 1983.
It’s quite a testament to Hawk Mountain’s mission that during the sanctuary’s 75th anniversary year we should witness the comeback of two of the most endangered raptor species that have been observed over the North Lookout.
Back in 1984 during the sanctuary’s 50th anniversary, no one dared think that by 2009 we’d have nesting peregrines in Reading and nesting bald eagles in Berks. But that doesn’t mean that all these fragile gains couldn’t be lost by Hawk Mountain’s 100th anniversary.
http://www.readingeagle.com/blog.aspx?bid=70
i saw 2 bald eagles last week kayaking down the schuylkill river (b/t schuylkill haven and port clinton). 1 actually dove down with talons out to grab a fish, but missed. it was a really neat thing to see in real life!
OldStormcrow
07-20-2009, 17:03
I had the pleasure of watching bald eagles and ospreys grabbing fish all last week at Lake Greenwood in SC. I really hate jet skis with a passion, and got to see an osprey grab a fish from about ten feet in front of one.....wish the guy had freaked and fallen off!
bronconite
07-21-2009, 17:31
i saw 2 bald eagles last week kayaking down the schuylkill river (b/t schuylkill haven and port clinton). 1 actually dove down with talons out to grab a fish, but missed. it was a really neat thing to see in real life!
2 or 3 weeks ago I was kayaking/fishing above the Kernsville Dam on the Schuylkill River and saw an Eagle with a fish in it's talons. I was right out in front of the upper parking lot and the people on the shore got to see it take the fish. Definitly an awesome sight.
I'll be floating this Saturday from Hamburg to Crosskeys. Maybe we'll get lucky and see one again.
Bald eagles nesting in 49 counties of Pennsylvania; proper bald eagle nest viewing etiquette encouraged (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?Q=176809&A=11#Counties)
This release may be the source of information for Bill Urhich's post to Berks County Nature Blog mentioned in post #53.
I've shared a Pennsylvania DEP page (http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/heritage/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=443908) about Rosalie Edge with others here before, but I don't recall if I ever posted it where everyone can read it.
Click Pennsylvania Bird-Watching (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=867314&postcount=4) to link to a recent post about Rosalie Edge and a new book about her published by University of Georgia Press.
Laurie Goodrich mentioned kestrel numbers appear to be down 50% and falling, the reason(s) for which are not yet entirely clear.
Darrin Youker quotes in A.T. Journeys (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/atf/cf/%7BB8A229E6-1CDC-41B7-A615-2D5911950E45%7D/ATJ-09SeptOct-Freedom%20to%20Soar.pdf) (September-October 2009) Hawk Mountain's Dr. Keith Bildstein who believes West Nile Virus has contributed.
Anyone who's read this far and hasn't already read Darrin's article should click above to see what you missed. I liked the images, especially the peregrine and Scouts on North Lookout.
If the author's name seems familiar, it may be because he writes for The Reading Eagle and his articles have been linked to History as a Mystery (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=35528). You might also want to read Darrin's article which was The Reading Eagle's lead story a few days ago entitled Buzz builds in Berks over dwindling number of bees and butterflies (http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=156753) or click on Pollinators (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=54297) to read his article and join an ongiong discussion.
Click on Faces of Nature (http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/pennsylvania/people/art25266.html) to read a short Q&A about the role of bird banding in conservation and some surprising facts it's revealed.
See my earlier post concerning HMS peregrine figures for 2008 and consider most passed over North Lookout during a fairly narrow window. Someone who's determined to see a peregrine on the A.T. could without expending a great deal of time and effort. Go here (http://www.hawkmountain.org/index.php?pr=Raptor_Migration#best%20dates), scroll down to the table, determine the probability of seeing a peregrine on any given day between October 1-14 and consider you could improve your odds by picking a more favorable day. There are other A.T. birds harder to pick up.
Two were tallied today. I'm predicting peregrines will be viewable and counted at HMS on Thursday if the weather is as forecast.
Click on www.hawkmountain.org (http://www.hawkmountain.org) before tomorrow's count is reported to read what was seen over North Lookout today.
For those who missed the opportunity, a peregrine dove on a bald eagle, something that wouldn't have been possible without the recovery of both species.
I'm predicting peregrines will be viewable and counted at HMS on Thursday if the weather is as forecast.
peregrine falcon = 4
Click on Faces of Nature (http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/pennsylvania/people/art25266.html) to read a short Q&A about the role of bird banding in conservation and some surprising facts it's revealed.
Since my editing privileges have expired on my earlier post, I must quote it and link my related rufous hummingbird post (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=905361&postcount=8) added today to Berks County Nature Blog.
Mr. Pough whose photos of raptors slaughtered at Hawk Mountain led to the creation of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in 1934 died Sunday. To read his obituary, click on Philly.com (http://www.philly.com/philly/obituaries/20091026_Harold_B__Pough__100__owned_camera_shops. html).
Did I mention Hawk Mountain Sanctuary has established a new record, 68, for peregrine falcons in 2009? There was also what I believe to be a record 11 seen on a single day.
My most recent visit was a good day for hiking but a slow day for raptor watching. I did watch a merlin fly across the Eck fast enough to be missed by everyone except one observer who called it to the attention of others on North Lookout.
It's only a few weeks until Pennsylvania birders begin their annual raptor counts. Hikers can expect to encounter counters at Little Gap, Bake Oven Knob and Blue Mountain/PA 183.
Pennsylvania Society of Ornithology published Laurie Goodrich's summary of last year's results in Pennsylvania Birds (http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:dssGfAlq98EJ:www.pabirds.org/PABIRDS/CurrentSample/V23N4_HawkSummary.pdf+www.pabirds.org+hawk+migrati on+sample+article&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShQK0f2UjTJyq1OQe8ZxHGhMMguypWQapc8ZuhT Oo6GOv6M5NxF4vz-RwRy5eEPItWlIyXcFaLXSwmTuZSeMPYtpxJNVBCFiGrzk-eCsj47SfNJwohbLLUXf9HZ298fynaRk5iR&sig=AHIEtbROz1xwKL0DxaW9rlNxb9DsGCC8dg). Click on the link to read her article.
Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology
Gotta love that Caps in thread titles glitch. What else can one do?
The 1st southbounders were identified and counted as they passed by the Eck earlier this month. Their trail names were Kestrel and Bald Eagle.
Saw a bald eagle fishing (the eagle, not me) at Upper Goose Pond last Saturday. Not sure if he/she is a permanent resident.
Cosmo
I've been seeing many Golden Eagles in Montana lately. I saw one go into a screaming dive to catch a rabbit reminiscent of a Peregrine Falcon. Also saw that same Golden Eagle have it's rabbit taken away from him in mid air by a Bald Eagle while flying upside down. Very cool!
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary's 2010 Autumn Hawkwatch results are now available at http://www.hawkmountain.org.
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary tallied 36 on August 19, their second-highest count ever.
While working near the marsh that borders a Kennebec estuary creek near my home yesterday four juvenile bald eagles came out to investigate. I was cutting back some weeds and burning an ancient pile of brush. I suspect the eagles suspected the fire might dislodge some wildlife. Anyway they soared overhead for five or ten minutes and then vanished in the direction of an island and peninsula, where there are active nests.
Eagles returned to Phippsburg, two decades ago after an absence of 35 years. We have 5 or 6 active nesting sites scattered about town. One, located 100 yards from the one-man saw mill where I buy rough sawn timbers for bog bridging, produced two young this year. They fledged a week or so ago.
Skeptics blame the loss of habitat for the disappearance of the eagles in the decade after the end of World War II. But wild habitat has disappeared at an ever increasing rate in Phippsburg, as newly cleaned rivers suddenly attracted folks with with a penchance for million dollar homes fronting clean waters. Bald eagles don't seem to be bothered at all by their ever increasing human neighbors.
The conventional explanation, of course, is that now banned DDT and other powerful war era pesticides disrupted eagle breeding.
I suspect the return of fish to cleaner rivers may have played a role in the return. I notice my new neighbors love to fish, but some dislike cleaning and eating their caught fish. Some creature or other quickly disappears the discarded fish. Do you suppose a fish diet might have helped make eagles so prolific these days?
Weary
I don't know what anyone else thinks, but I believe nutritition and fecundity are related. A little help from Augusta and Saskatchewan didn't hurt either.
Anyone who wants the of kind material I've posted in their Inbox need only subscribe to Hawk Mountain Migration eUpdate. Lately, they've been feeding Facebook too and I'm gladdened by what I read every time I go there.
Today Hawk Mountain counted kettles of broadwings. I spent what time I could at Blue Marsh Lake where I had the good fortune to see an adult bald eagle over the township where I was raised and still prefer to live.
Hawk Mountain exceeded its previous tally for Bald Eagles earlier this season.
Saturday, October 2, 5 PM Visitor Center Gallery
Meet coffee-table book author Jim Wright and photographer Kevin Watson and enjoy a wonderful slide show that consolidates the hundreds of images taken over two years during the creation of their photo essay book Hawk Mountain: the world's first raptor sanctuary.
Jim will share stores from dozens of personal interviews and visits, providing unique insights about Hawk Mountain, its history, people and wildlife that make it special.
Now at least 327 with more expected to be counted. No doubt many of these birds were observable from the A.T. as they migrated through Kittatinny Ridge Important Bird Area.
The offical count for 2010 now stands at 354 Bald Eagles. With 37 more days to go, 400 may still happen. The previous Bald Eagle season record was 245.
It is a widely known fact there is now a resident pair of Bald Eagles near Hawk Mountain. Raptor counters on North Lookout have learned to distinguish between the resident eagles and migrants passing through the sanctuary.
The resident eagles often alert counters to the approaching migrants long before watchers are aware of them and meet migrants and shadow them as they pass through the sanctuary.
Yesterday was Golden Eagle Day at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary when everyone who showed up was guaranteed a golden eagle sighting as is everyone who reads this thread and can click on the link below with his or her mouse.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hawk-Mountain-Sanctuary-Association/110550184788#!/photo.php?fbid=494763174788&set=a.138909499788.139027.110550184788 (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hawk-Mountain-Sanctuary-Association/110550184788#!/photo.php?fbid=494763174788&set=a.138909499788.139027.110550184788)
Yesterday, at 14:01, research biologist David Barber recorded an immature Bald Eagle, the 400th tallied for 2010.
berkshirebirder
12-10-2010, 22:14
This is good news, Emerald. In fact, 2010 was a good year for many of the raptor species at Hawk Mountain.
http://data.hawkmountain.org/cgi-bin/count/viewdate.cgi