If my property on Wimer Mountain Road can be of any help in this project, you
are welcome to set up a monitoring station there.
Margaret O'Bryan
-----Original Message-----
From: bearmountain@xxxxxxxxxx
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Mon, 3 Dec 2007 9:20 am
Subject: [Va-bird] update on eagle project in Highland County
THE GOLDEN CHASE and HIGHLAND
COUNTY EAGLE SURVEY
Notes on nest visit on November 12, 2007, Highland County,
VA
On November 12, 2007, Dr. Bryan Watts, from the Center
for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary, and Catherine
Markham, a former student currently at Princeton University, went to Highland
County to check a possible golden eagle nest. The nest is on a remote
outcropping,
near Blue Grass Virginia south/southeast of VA Rt. 640 (Approx. +38 29’ 31.58”
-79 32’ 27.43”).
A Highland County resident discovered the nest July 1,
2007 while hiking and soon afterward the County
Eagle Survey team sent photos to Dr. Watts and Dr. Byrd. The location and nest
photos prompted them to visit the nest site.
To facilitate this process, Patti Reum met with Dr. Watts
and Dr. Byrd at the Center for Conservation Biology on Oct. 18, 2007. She
updated them on the eagle survey project and requested their assistance to help
meet goals established by the Golden Chase project.
Watts, Markham, Reum and Todd Frye hiked to the nest on November 12.
Watts climbed up to the nest, examined it, and took photographs.
Watts commented:
“Although the base of
the nest is substantial, the cup diameter of the nest is no more
than 10
inches. An eagle would be more on the order of 3 feet or so after
the
breeding season. The lining of the nest was strips of bark rather than
the grasses that eagles would typically use. The sticks used to build
the
base were generally about half the diameter or less than those used by
eagles. The nest was also not as well constructed as what we see with
eagles. It had more of a stick pile construction rather than the
interwoven
construction we see with raptors”.
”This nest is clearly a
raven nest. It appears that this site has been used
by them for many,
many years. There was a pile of many generations of
sticks under the
site that have fallen down to the ground over the years.
The nest was
covered with deer hair and sheep wool. There was fresh
whitewash
around the nest and on the ground suggesting that the birds are
currently
roosting there. There were also raven feathers below the nest
that had
been recently shed”.
“It sounds like the next step out there is to monitor the goldens and as
the
weather cools begin to set up some bait stations. If we can get
regular use
at a couple of bait stations, we could come out and rocket net
some birds to
band.”
On November 14, the Highland County Eagle Survey team (Reum and Hevener)
met to discuss how to best get Golden Eagles to regularly use bait stations.
They agreed to use two motion- sensitive cameras to monitor possible locations
and determine sites frequented by Golden Eagles. Sites must be monitored
regularly and be accessible by vehicle, particularly during winter. So far a
major
limiting factor has been the availability of suitable carcasses to attract
eagles. Additional challenges include the time and gas proper monitoring
demands. Hevener agreed to complete
sighting data through November 30 (end of fall season.) and compare it to 2006
data to identify sites showing consistent golden eagle use during the same
period both years. Reum met with
employees of the Virginia Department of Transportation in Monterey and they
agreed to provide road kill for the project. Reum and Hevener met on November
28 to
finalize the 2 locations for the bait stations.
On November 16, Reum spoke to John Spahr of the Virginia Society of
Ornithology about the status of the Highland County Eagle Survey and Golden
Chase projects. The VSO serves as Project Partner for the Golden Chase
fundraiser, and Spahr has been involved in the project since it started. Reum
asked Spahr to update the VSO Board
and request that the VSO continue their partnership. She also requested that
one
individual serve as a liaison between VSO and both Highland eagle projects to
help determine the next steps of these projects. Reum and Hevener believe VSO
support is very important to the success, credibility and proper application of
funds raised by the Golden Chase. The VSO Board held its quarterly meeting on
November 17 and appointed Spahr to serve in this position.
Patti
Reum and Sandy Hevener
Highland County Eagle
Survey
December 3,
2007
Patti Reum
Bear Mountain Farm and Wilderness
Retreat
2599 Bear Mountain Rd.
Monterey, VA. 24465
www.mountain-retreat.com
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