Sunday, January 17, 1999
Bald eagles flock to Ky. to escape ice
BY SUSAN VELA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Frozen lakes to the north could mean that a record number of American bald eagles are calling Kentucky their home this winter.
The majestic birds generally spend spring and summer in the Great Lakes region and central Canada. They move farther south in the winter in search of food, and the harsher
the winters in the north, the more likely they are to show up in Kentucky.
They prey on fish, which they can't get to when the lakes are frozen, and other waterfowl that migrate to more southern climates in the colder months.
“My guess is that the number (of bald eagles) is going to be quite high for Kentucky this year,” said Laura Burford, wildlife biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “There's quite a deep freeze up north. The water (in Kentucky) hasn't frozen over. If it's good for waterfowl, I imagine it's good for the eagles, too.”
For the past two weeks, Ms. Burford has coordinated a midwinter survey to find out how many eagles migrated to Kentucky this year.
Surveyors have gone — by foot, boat, car and plane — along the shore lines of Kentucky's natural lakes and reservoirs to determine how many eagles are here this year.
The eagles mainly are attracted to western Kentucky, with the state's larger lakes and bigger waterfowl and fish populations.
The record winter population was 282 in 1993. Last year's count was about 170. The range has a lot to do with the weather, Kentucky park and wildlife officials agree.
“I do know that (this year), a lot of eagles are being seen,” said Carey Tichenor, chief naturalist for the Kentucky Department of Parks. “A lot of times, they're seen congregating below locks and dams because that's where it's good to catch fish.”
A final count for this year will not be released until March. Ms. Burford expects it to be further proof that Kentucky's eagle population, while not soaring, is at least on the rise.
Kentucky isn't a natural draw for bald eagles. The soaring bird and national symbol is more likely to be spotted in the coastal states of Florida, Louisiana and Florida. Kentucky has about 13 breeding pairs, compared with more than 900 in Florida.
Decades ago, pesticide use did great damage to the nation's eagle population. Kentucky had no breeding pairs by the 1940s, and bald eagles were nearly eliminated from the Ohio River Valley by the 1970s.
Kentucky wildlife officials attribute the increasing eagle population to public education, nationwide efforts to release eagles into the wilderness, reservoirs built in the 1960s for flood control, and the Eagle Protection Act, which requires sentences of up to two years in prison and $250,000 in fines for anyone who harasses a bald eagle.
In the last 10 years, 99 eaglets have been born in Kentucky. The national bald eagle population is increasing about 10 percent a year, and there now are at least 14,000 eagles nationwide.
Such improvements allowed the eagle to be removed from the nation's endangered species list in 1995. It still is considered a threatened species. But wildlife officials hope to see it removed from that list in the next two or three years.
EAGLE WATCHING
The Kentucky State Parks Department is offering tours to view bald eagles in their natural habitat. Tours are scheduled for:
• Friday and Saturday, Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park, Bowling Green.
• Jan. 29-31, Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, Gilbertsville.
• Feb. 5-7, Kenlake State Resort Park, Hardin.
• Feb. 19-21, Lake Barkley State Resort Park, Cadiz.
Pre-registration and a fee are required. For more information, call (800) 255-7275.
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