Spent a few hours on the Potomac River in King George County yesterday with two
other volunteers conducting the midwinter portion of the National Eagle Survey
through the Center for Conservation Biology. Doug, one of the volunteers, was
kind enough to loan his bass boat for the effort. Rhonda was our leader as she
had previous experience. We motored from Fairview Beach, Va downriver passed
Caledon State Park to Mathias Point where the river takes a huge bend. About
12 miles overall. It can get very choppy on the river, but Rhonda picked a
perfect day with flat water. We counted 16 adult Bald Eagles. Mostly pairs.
Subadults weren’t counted during the survey, nor did we see any.
It’s my understanding that (midwinter?) data along this stretch of river hasn’t
been collected for several years. They also conduct a mid-summer survey. If
you have a motorboat that can handle the river and want to volunteer during the
summer or next winter, contact the CCB.
http://www.ccbbirds.org/2009/01/03/bald-eagle-concentration-areas-in-the-chesapeake-bay/
Larry
