[Bristol-Birds] Re: more eagle reports documented
- From: "Richrd Kretz" <roaminggnome33@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>, "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2011 23:06:49 -0400
Thanks Wallace. Buller staff indicated that at least one Bald Eagle has been
sighted regularly in the vicinity of the fish hatchery on Rt 16 as well. Don't
know if this is the same bird or not. Have had reports for approx. 6 years of
Bald Eagles, adults and juveniles, at trout ponds in the Chilhowie/Marion area.
Believe I reported one flying parallel to I-81 in that area several years back.
However, this is the first I've been able to photograph. Suspect that if the
eagles have been sighted at area ponds for such a lengthy period there may
indeed be a nest or nests. Perhaps further investigation is merited.
Best,
Richard Kretz
Lebanon, Russell Co., VA
----- Original Message -----
From: Wallace Coffey
To: Bristol-birds
Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2011 10:38 PM
Subject: [Bristol-Birds] more eagle reports documented
Richard Kretz of Lebanon, VA took this photo
of an adult Bald Eagle today, Saturday,
26 March 2011, at the Buller Aquatic
Wildlife Conservation Center located at
the Buller Fish Hatchery on the South
Fork Holston River five miles south of
Marion in Smyth County, VA. This location
is 25 miles NE of the South Holston Lake
nest which is in Washington Co., VA.
Meanwhile, today (Saturday, 26 March 2011),
we now have a new location of a Bald Eagle
site on South Holston Lake in Sullivan Co., TN.
It is also too far away from the Washington
Co., VA nest site to be one of those birds.
We should treat each of these observations
as a potential nesting location until we can
either lose track of the bird or establish its
apparent status.
These eagles are possibly migrants
passing thru the area as posted Friday,
despite the fact we have nests in the
region which have eaglets. There is no
particular reason to chase down juvenile
birds at this date because there are none
from any local nests believed to be old
enough to have fledged. So we have not
reached the critical time at which fledgling
Bald Eagles, not capable of sustained
flight, can be evidence of local breeding.
However, we will enter that phase of the
nesting period, on a local basis, within a
few months and that will be more useful
information. We'll try to make subscribers
of this list aware when the first weeks of
that fledgling window can be determine
(if we can remember).
But adult Bald Eagles anywhere in the
region (migrants or not) must be given
serious consideration and all feasible
methods of following up should be
considered.
We might easily have a half dozen more
eagle nests, or more, in the region that
are not coming to our attention.
We've had repeated reports from Scott
County, VA, both near Hiltons and at
Dungannon on the North Fork Holston
River, of reoccurring Bald Eagles being
seen well into the nesting season. The
eagles seen near Hiltons have been
reported in both 2009 and 2010.
As with the launch of the Great Blue
Heron nesting colonies in the region in
the 1990's and into the 2000's, we can
now clearly see the increase of known
nest sites across the region in just a
few years as shown on a recent map
posted to Bristol Birds Net.
Let's go birding . . . .
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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