Bald eagle numbers along river a record

The number of wintering bald eagles in New York state is reaching an all-time high, and the St. Lawrence River area had the second-highest number of the birds during a winter survey, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Blanche E. Town, a DEC fish and wildlife technician based in Potsdam, said an aerial survey by helicopter Jan. 14, part of the annual National Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey, saw a record total of 101 bald eagles on the St. Lawrence between Cape Vincent and Massena on both the U.S and Canadian sides.

The river numbers are second only to the Hudson and Delaware regions, which saw 277 eagles. A total of 459 eagles had been sighted in New York as of Jan. 31, a pace well ahead of the 2008 record of 573. The state's survey efforts are part of a national initiative that monitors the locations and numbers of bald eagles wintering in the lower 48 states.

Preliminary results indicate the bald eagle population may be at an all-time high since the state began its repopulation efforts more than 30 years ago, DEC Commissioner Alexander B. "Pete" Grannis said.

The number of bald eagles seen on the St. Lawrence River swells during the winter as the lakes and rivers in Canada freeze, forcing nesting bald eagles to travel to waters that are open so they can feed.

Ms. Town said that bald eagles are opportunistic feeders, eating muskrats, ducks, deer, even roadkill. However, their primary source of food is fish. The open water of the St. Lawrence River helps them survive the winter.

At the start of the survey in early January, DEC works with the state police aviation unit to conduct aerial observations of the state's largest known wintering habitats. This information is supplemented with reports from dozens of volunteers who are on the ground and report their observations to DEC.

The midwinter surveys have shown a trend of increased numbers of bald eagles, a good sign compared with the mid-1970s, when the population was decimated by pesticides like DDT and other environmental and man-made issues.

In 1975, DEC officials say, they could document only one, unproductive pair of eagles. DEC launched its effort to restore bald eagles to New York that year.

More information about bald eagles in New York can be found at www.dec.ny.gov/

animals/7068.html.