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Carefully scanning the Lake Tahoe Basin's
evergreens and snow-covered mountain peaks through
binoculars, dozens of volunteers and government
employees set out to find a bird with a white cap of its
own Friday morning.
Twenty-four U.S. Forest Service, California State Parks,
Nevada Department of Wildlife and Tahoe Regional
Planning Agency employees, joined by 10 local
volunteers, stationed themselves at 26 locations around
the lake in search of bald eagles.
The monitoring effort mirrors similar undertakings
nationwide that began Jan. 2 and will continue until
Jan. 16; it's part of an annual midwinter bald eagle
survey.
Although the nation's symbol of freedom was taken off
the endangered species list in June because of its
increasing numbers, the annual survey still is used to
gather information about the birds, according to a news
release from the U.S. Geologic Survey.
"The survey is a unique source of
long-term, baseline data and is especially useful in
monitoring bald eagles following their removal from the
U.S. Endangered Species List," U.S. Geological Survey
Scientist Karen Steenhof said in the news statement.
"The midwinter survey provides information on both
breeding and nonbreeding segments of the population at a
potentially limiting time of the year."
Data from the basin will be sent to the University of
California, Santa Cruz's Predatory Bird Research Group,
which forwards information to the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, the agency coordinating the national survey
this year.
In order for data to be included in the national survey,
surveys need to be conducted in a particular area for at
least three years and follow certain protocols,
according to Janet Linthicum, a research associate with
the group.
While she couldn't say for certain, Linthicum was
"pretty sure" data from Friday's observations in the
basin would be included in the national midwinter
survey, noting the length of time basin agencies have
monitored the birds at Lake Tahoe.
Government agencies have taken
winter counts of bald eagles in the basin for the past
26 years, according to Rena Escobedo, a wildlife
biologist with the U.S. Forest Service.
Last week, the U.S. Geological Survey announced the
results of a new analysis of midwinter count data from
1986 through 2005.
The analysis shows counts of wintering bald eagles
increasing nationwide at a rate of 1.7 percent per year.
Increases in counts over the 20-year period were highest
in the nation's northeast, with a 6 percent increase
each year.
In contrast,
counts in the southwest portion of the country decreased
1.2 percent each year over 20 years.
Although official results from this year's survey in the
basin were not immediately available, six individual
bald eagles were reported from monitors after 19 of 26
locations had reported in by Friday afternoon.
A total of six bald eagles were spotted during last
year's survey in the basin, Escobedo said.
For those interested in catching a glimpse of the birds
on the South Shore, Escobedo recommended area beaches
still accessible through the snowpack.
"Regan Beach would probably be a good spot," Escobedo
said.
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