GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) - Few people think of Wyoming as the South, but for many bald eagles, that is exactly what it is - a balmy southern wintering ground.
As part of an effort that happens all over the nation, more than 60 volunteers in the Powder River Basin went out on the morning of Jan. 11 to count eagles. Volunteers have struck out on this Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey in the basin since 2006 and nationwide since the 1970s.
The eagles, especially bald eagles, spend summers in northern Canada and Alaska and head south for the winters. Many winter in Wyoming, and a few pairs of bald eagles and more golden eagles stay all year.
“I had no idea that the winter is the time to see eagles,” said Anne Birdie, a Gillette resident who participated in the survey for the first time this year. “It’s really kind of funny to think that when a bird is flying south for the winter, that here is their south.”
This winter, volunteers counted 354 eagles - 239 bald eagles, 91 golden eagles and 24 eagles of undetermined species - the most so far in the basin. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management coordinates the survey in the basin.
There are no fancy survey techniques, just volunteers with a little training driving established routes and looking for eagles.
The count in the basin hasn’t been going on long enough to establish a population trend yet, BLM rangeland management specialist Charlotte Darling said. But it does help establish where wintertime eagle habitat exists in the area.
Differences in weather, wind, prey populations and the number of routes each year can account for much of the change so far. Organizers had to add survey routes this year to accommodate strong volunteer participation - a good problem to have, Darling said.
Many of the volunteers reported high winds on their routes this year, likely meaning eagles were closer to the ground and harder to spot.
The survey has been on relatively warm days for the past few years, which means they were more likely to be out of their roosts hunting and more dispersed, Darling said.
Even the number of people driving a certain route could affect the count. Birdie drove north from Gillette on Highway 59 to the Montana border with her husband, Chad Birdie, and their friend, Gwen Reed, both also rookies on the survey. She said having a lookout for each side of the road and someone who could concentrate on driving made their job easier.
They spotted 13 eagles, including only one golden eagle. Most of the eagles they counted were in one 10-mile stretch, Birdie said.
Each time they spotted an eagle, they had to stop to record the location, the type of eagle, what it was doing and other information for the survey.
“It was something all three of us agreed we wanted to do again,” Birdie said. “It was definitely well worth it.”
She said she has noticed more birds, been able to identify them and to distinguish between juvenile bald eagles and golden eagles since the survey.
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Information from: The Gillette (Wyo.) News Record, https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com
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