At a wildlife meeting in Wilkesboro, NC last Thursday, biologists and others from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission were talking about the good numbers of Golden Eagles showing up in Western Carolina. Thurmond Chatham Game Lands and the northern Mitchell County site had numerous birds last year and biologists identified around 14-15 individual Golden Eagles at the northern Mitchell County site. They believe that the northern counties, possibly from the Smokies to Thurmond Chatham Game Lands, is probably NC’s biggest wintering grounds for these eagles. The East Tennessee Golden Eagle Group made history 22 Feb. 2011, when Todd Eastin and wife Lynn Eastin, photographed a Golden Eagle on Iron Mountain in Shady Valley, TN -- Johnson County. It became the first photo of the species for Shady Valley and Johnson County. The Bristol Bird Club's East Tennessee Golden Eagle Group began monitoring in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee on 17 Feb 2011 and a Golden Eagle was photographed five days later by the Eastins. While looking at a computer-generated map created by the Virginia wildlife biologists, we had noticed that a bird from the extensive population in Southwest Virginia had been tracked by the GPS cell phone satellite system as it crossed thru Johnson County, TN. Since, BBC had a Southwest Virginia crew working on the project in Russell County, VA, the club quickly put together the East Tennessee team to monitor in Shady Valley in 2011. Now, coupled with a highly successful North Carolina state project, a map from that state’s eagle tracking shows GOEA North Carolina -Tennessee 2014.jpg Golden Eagle locations determined by download data every 15 minutes during tracking durations in 2014. Note that at least one bird passed thru Shady Valley to Virginia. Another travels on the SE side of Johnson County along the North Carolina mountains of the Blue Ridge. There is probably movement between the Virginia highlands of Grayson County, VA and Western Carolina. After decades with limited observations of Golden Eagles in our high elevations and mountain areas, our birders are much more aware of the reasonable chance of observing Golden Eagles above Unaka Mountain, Roan Mountain, Shady Valley and other areas. Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Areas in Carter County is another site producing eagles. In 1964, several birders went across Carver’s Gap on Roan Mountain into Mitchell County, NC and I banded a Golden Eagle which was captured on the high slopes where it was killing newly-born lambs. GOEA Biologist Chris Kelly NC Wildlife Resources Commission February 2013 near Unaka Mountain.jpg Chris Kelly is the leader of the NC Wildlife Commission’s Golden Eagle research project. She is a Mountain Wildlife Diversity Biologist for North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC). She has overseen western region bird and Carolina northern flying squirrel conservation for NCWRC since 2005. Prior to that she worked for the U.S. Forest Service for four years and interned with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Golden Eagle being held by Kelly was caught on February 11, 2013, on Unaka Mountain across the state line into North Carolina. It was taken near Beauty Spot Gap in the vicinity of the Appalachian Trail not far from the top of Rock Creek Road. Wallace Coffey Bristol, TN