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MOUNTAIN The Highland Eagle Survey is gathering

information
EAGLES and look what
it’s finding…
bigbirds are watching them move up rivers from Often when we look for eagles we are unsure if
the Chesapeake Bay into the mountains. In 1989 we are seeing the same birds over and over,
officials documented the first active bald eagle but this time the number was for real as they
nest in western Virginia. That was in Bath County were all at one place.
at Lake Moomaw, still a popular eagle hangout.
The Gathrightdam backs up 12 miles of the The most I’ve ever seen on the ground at
Jackson River into a 2,530 acre lake which one time is six. But, that is outside my bedroom
straddles Alleghany and Bath counties. window in the middle of the Blue Grass Valley,
By Sandy Hevener Occasionally golden eagles show up theremid-summer. All are immature bald eagles. The
too. In January 2007, a lucky resident reported oldest has a dirty white head and telltale black
two golden eagles locking talons in a courtship tail fringe of a fourth-year, near adult bird. Three
I assure the caller that the adult bald eagle he hatch-years, one third-
display over the lake while three juveniles circled.
Another hot spot for inland eagles is aroundyear, and one second-year complete the group. I
spotted in Highland County, Va. wasn’t lost. “I Snowy Mountain, on the Virginia-West Virginia quickly name the second-year Too White because
border. Birders report both species wintering of the extreme number of white patches on her
thought
shorebird,” they
he says. “Don’t were a shorebird,”
they eat fish?” he
residentsof the says.
central “Don’t they
Appalachian eat and
Mountains fish?” there. The balds are far more common in chest and back. After the big day, she returns
People at trout farms fed by cold mountain travel on the updrafts along the Alleghany front. summer, but people occasionally report goldens often and perches in top of a large maple tree.
springs report them perching above the fish ponds The winter population in this area comes from then too. People commonly confuse immature The next year, a third-year bald eagle
and stealing trout. They even saw a golden eagle flyQuebec or northern states. The summer population occasionally perches on the same limb of the
bald eagles with golden eagles, but if the golden
into a hatchery and harass the bald perching there.comes from southern states. A few don’t migrate far. eagle in that area on June 10 was really just a same tree. I can’t say if it is indeed the same
juvenile bald, why was it clutching nesting bird, but this year a fourth-year bird is perching
Eagles, like most raptors, are opportunistic One pair, named Ferdinand and Isabella by the
scavengers. The bald eagle above was eating a landowner, only disappears for two or three weeks material in its beak? Bald eagles are basically on that limb.
groundhog in mid-October and probably a winter each winter. They’ve perched over the Jackson River dark and don’t have white heads and tails until The group of six shared two groundhogs.
resident. Had it been a golden eagle, the odds are it5.4 miles south of Monterey for many years. A few they are four to five years old when they mature.Well, share is not exactly correct. The oldest bird
years ago Ferdinand showed up with a new Isabella.
would have been a transient visitor on its way south. They are full size when they leave the nest andeats on the larger groundhog while the third-year
Bald eagle migration through the mid-eastern United females are larger than males. works on the smaller one. Too White and the
Since the EPA banned DDT in 1972, the 30 or
States peaks in early September and golden eaglesso surviving bald eagle pairs in Virginia’s coastal three hatch-year birds watch. Then Too White
migrate about eight weeks later. Both species are areas have grown to more than 500 pairs. Biologists September 15, 2007 report from birders tries to steal the smaller groundhog. She snags it
part-time residents of the central Appalachian visiting the Snowy Mountain area: and drags it 50 feet with wings flapping, but
monitoring thebig birds are watching them
Mountains and travel on the updrafts Across the road in the field we saw some can’t get airborne. The oldest eagle jumps
move up rivers from the Chesapeake Bay around, postures, and flies into Too White making
eagles flying and then they started collecting
on the ground. We could see eleven (11!) her drop her bounty. When the older birds leave,
eagles at one time. Eventually eight settledthe younger ones eat, that is except for one
on the ground in one cluster. In the total hatch -year that perches on the fence. I never
group of eleven we counted three adult bald
see it eat. Early the next morning a hatch-year
eagles and at least two adult golden eagles.
The rest were immature birds. We heard anappears and scratches around where the larger
eagle calling and looked up and there were groundhog
a had been. It picks up a white tail
bald and a golden interacting. Often when wefeather with dark brown fringe, throws it down
look for eagles we are unsure if we are seeing
forcefully several times, and flies away.

1 -2 year Bald eagle 2 -3 year Golden


at bait station eaglewith deer carcass

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