Subject: Fw: [bcintbird] Southern Interior Eagle Count
Date: Jan 28 22:14:55 2000
From: WAYNE WEBER - WAYNE_WEBER at bc.sympatico.ca


Tweeters (and Vancouver Birders),

Continuing with the Bald Eagle discussion, the following totals
from the Southern B.C. Interior Bald Eagle count from Jan. 1995
through Jan. 2000 may be of interest. Rick Howie, the count
coordinator, also has some comments on food sources of these birds.
The areas covered are mainly the Thompson, Okanagan, Similkameen,
and Nicola Valleys. The numbers don't approach those seen in coastal
areas like the Skagit River, Harrison River, or Squamish River, but
they are significant nonetheless.

Wayne Weber
Kamloops, B.C.
wayne_weber at bc.sympatico.ca



-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Howie <rhowie at mail.ocis.net>
To: BCINTBIRD <bcintbird at egroups.com>
Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2000 10:06 PM
Subject: [bcintbird] Eagle Count


Wow !! Had to share this most preliminary report with all of you.

We have been counting eagles since 1995 as part of the annual swan
census. While we know there are concentrations we are missing, take a
look at these numbers for Bald Eagles in southern BC excluding the
central BC counts we received this year.

1995 - 116
1996 - 164
1997 - 116
1998 - 163
1999 - 156
2000 - 163

This suggests not only a consistency of effort, but I think some
pretty interesting notions that while not high, the numbers of
wintering Bald Eagles in the interior areas that we cover is pretty
consistent. These years also included some years of major salmon runs
at the Adams River, yet the total eagle counts did not go up in those
years of 1995, 1998 & 1999.

Greater effort in new areas would add more numbers no doubt, but one
gets the feeling that something quite predictable is happening here,
and we are documenting it fairly accurately. I know of about 25
eagles that are not counted on the North Thompson R at a slaughter
operation near McLure and in an earlier note, I mentioned the great
chicken ranch convention. Where were they on count day? Our group
there only had 6 eagles on the 16th yet 1 week later, a herd of them
arrives. Earl migration perhaps?
Golden Eagle numbers are more erratic and I think this has a lot to do
with weather, viewing conditions and large territories over
inhospitable terrain where viewing effort is less constant.

I do not want to make too many assertions about our eagle populations
at this point, but would be glad to hear from any of you.

I am sure pleased that we continued our efforts here, even after the
coastal organizers did not want our data because our numbers were
small compared to the large coastal populations. To be fair, the
government coordinators were over-worked and had to focus on their
management areas, but now look at what we know about the southern
interior that we did not know before !!

Rick Howie
Kamloops, B.C.
rhowie at mail.ocis.net