[Bristol-Birds] Many Golden Eagles winter in Western NC; some migrate thru Shady Valley, TN

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "'bristol-birds'" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 01:04:41 -0500
 

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
[Bristol-Birds] Many Golden Eagles winter in Western NC; some migrate thru Shady Valley, TN

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