More than 140 people participated in today’s winter bald eagle count in and around San Bernardino National Forest, observing a total of ten bald eagles. The seasonal count, which takes place during the winter months, is now in its 39th year and is organized by the U.S. Forest Service with California State Parks.
The eagle count locations reported the following:
Big Bear Lake: Five eagles, two adults and three subadults, were seen by 80 eager citizen scientists. This included the pair that made news this week for laying two eggs at their nest on Forest Service-managed land. If all goes well, the eggs should hatch in early February. A “nest cam” from the Friends of Big Bear Valley livestreams the nest day and night and can viewed at http://www.iws.org/livecams.html (Select “Big Bear Eagle Cam, Big Bear Lake). A video clip of the female weathering last week’s winter storm can be viewed here. To protect the eagles from disturbance, the area surrounding the nest is completely closed to all public entry.
Lake Arrowhead: Three eagles, two adults and a subadult, were spotted by nine citizen scientists.
Lake Hemet: A pair of eagles were observed by 10 citizen scientists.
Lake Perris: Sadly, the 45 participants at Lake Perris State Recreation Area were skunked and did not see any eagles this time. However, Ken Kietzer, a senior environmental scientist for California State Parks, reported that they enjoyed a visit by two ospreys.
Silverwood Lake: No eagles were spotted by the 31 participants.
Count coordinators from the Forest Service and California State Parks would like to thank participants for their dedication in getting up early and participating in the eagle censuses this winter. The success of the eagle counts is entirely dependent on the citizen scientists!