AEP 2016

[Curmudgeon]

I don't know how big they are. Some people make comments on size in wildlife photos but I find it difficult. I can judge bulkiness. I can tell if one bird is big compared to another.

 

Most of the cameras seem to exaggerate size - larger or smaller - based on distance. Close looks very big but move away and the size gets smaller faster than in real life.

[Paula]

Are you able to set something out  there for size comparison?

[bobdun]

Wow those are some great pics! I saw a bald eagle on my drive back up from the island. I usually see them flying over the same river off 17

Where bouts on 17 ?

[Curmudgeon]

Are you able to set something out  there for size comparison?

 

Some people have tried that. It only works if the animal is the same distance as the size reference. Sometimes you can get a sense from the bait but deer vary greatly in size.

 

Where bouts on 17 ?

 

Bald Eagles can be seen regularly along the Willowemoc, Beaverkill and the Delaware along 17. Basically, anywhere between Livingston Manor and Deposit. Some of our tracked goldens hang out along 17. The river is not an attraction for them. The road kills are. One parked itself along the highway east of East Branch between 17 and the Beaverkill for 3 days back in January. I checked the site on a trip to the in-laws. It is a 100 yard wide strip of thick second growth. I'm sure few people saw the bird. Those that did would probably mistake it for a juvenile bald. Along those rivers, balds outnumber goldens at least 100 to 1. On the mountain tops, about 20 to 1.

 

Here is a photo of the 4th and final bird we trapped and released this winter. She was a beautiful, 12 pound adult. One of the most beautiful animals I have ever seen.

 

 

I like that photo a lot. I am going to change my avatar.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Curmudgeon

[TreeGuy]

This is all really good stuff. My kind of " conservation ". Keep it coming and great work.

[Paula]

what kind of information are you trying to get from all this?

How many bait sites do you have?

Do you get in different animals/scavengers that come in based on bait and season?

[Curmudgeon]

Paula -

 

Until we started doing this in 2010, no one knew there was a regular winter population of golden eagles in NYS. Not only are there goldens, some areas have high densities. "High" being relative for an Endangered Species. One site has had over 10 individuals feeding during the winter. A couple of sites had 2 individuals. If you get 1, you consider yourself lucky.  Besides winter distribution, we get a demographic breakdown by age. From good photos we can accurately age most birds.

 

We are learning about delectability. One of the reasons this population was unknown is that the birds are very hard to find. I organized counts the past 2 winters in Delaware County - skilled observers spending a good chunk of a day in a defined territory. One golden eagle was found for each 53 hours of observer time, AND, 1 of 3 of the birds each year were near a bait site. That is sort of cheating. So, if they hadn't picked up a bird there each year, the number of hours per bird would be 50% higher, or a bird for every 80 hours of observer time.

 

We are learning a lot about habitat they prefer: for soaring/moving, roosting and foraging. We are learning that they find coyote hunter bait piles with ease. I hope those guys are checking their road kills for bullet holes. Data from our efforts killed a commercial wind project. Goldens for some reason get whacked by turbines well out of proportion to their numbers.

 

On average, we have about 10 sites operating under my license in Delaware and Otsego Counties each winter. There have been project sites in Albany, Columbia, Orange, Oneida, Madsion, Chenango and Essex County. 

 

Yes, season matters. For adult goldens, winter is over. They are heading north. The bait is gone at most sites but with both eagle species migrating we are picking up birds we had not seen before. Both season and weather matter. The skunks, raccoon, possums only show up late in winter, or when it is very warm.  This winter rough-legged hawks were almost non-existent. Reports are most never got south of Quebec. The bear early this very, warm winter was a first.

 

[Pygmy]

So that's why I didn't see any roughlegs this year...They are usually quite numerous here in SW NY during the winter..

[Curmudgeon]

I haven't seen one. A Madison County site photographed one. Someone on this forum posted a photo of one on a gut pile in December. A few made it to Delaware County in February, but roughies were scarce. Most years, I could walk a 1/4 mile from the house and find one. Not this winter. Too warm.

[TreeGuy]

I spotted one in catt county of RT 219 three years ago, then at our camp this past gun season I watched one for hours across the valley. Absolutely stunning birds... Great to see and I hope they continue to multiply !

[Pygmy]

I haven't seen one. A Madison County site photographed one. Someone on this forum posted a photo of one on a gut pile in December. A few made it to Delaware County in February, but roughies were scarce. Most years, I could walk a 1/4 mile from the house and find one. Not this winter. Too warm.

Last winter it seemed like I saw nearly as many roughlegs as redtails.

How about short eared owls ? I used to see them frequently when I lived out of town and could easily watch the hay/weed fields at dusk.

[Curmudgeon]

Last winter it seemed like I saw nearly as many roughlegs as redtails.

How about short eared owls ? I used to see them frequently when I lived out of town and could easily watch the hay/weed fields at dusk.

 

Short-eared owls - beautiful birds - are in trouble in the east. There used to be areas where we could find 6-10 where there are now none. There is one spot in southern Montgomery County where 1 or 2 have been present this winter. I may join DEC for their last survey of that area this week. It depends on how I feel.

 

For those who have never seen a short-eared owl, you are missing a spectacular sight. You can find them hunting in sunlight late in the day. They are crepuscular and hunt low above the grass like harriers. During the summer - when days are long - they spend a lot of time hunting in daylight, especially those in the far north. I have watched them from the western states to Iceland. One of my most memorable wildlife experiences was watching a short-eared owl hunting in the Missouri Breaks. The bird lit up with the warm colors of the low summer sun.

 

They roost in groups so you can have a handful hunting in one area before they disperse. I have seen them chase harriers, which are also crepuscular. I have seen harriers steal mice from them.

 

A friend sent me this shot -

 

 

[Buckstopshere]

So that's why I didn't see any roughlegs this year...They are usually quite numerous here in SW NY during the winter..

 

Every year we have a few roughlegs, but this past winter only one. He was there early and hung around into February and then was gone. The colder and snowier the winter, the more roughlegs, the warmer, the fewer. Last year we had a couple mature bald eagles, this year we only had a juvenile.

 

[Curmudgeon]

The season is almost over. Golden eagles are migrating. One site that is still operating has a bunch of birds feeding, including 2 we telemetered. This photo is the only one we have ever gotten 3 at one photo in NYS. They usually wait until another leaves. I really like the photo of the eagle chasing the coyote.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2016 by Curmudgeon

[turkeyfeathers]

Was pretty excited to see 2 bald eagles along the Mohawk River today. Forgot how big they really are. One was pretty close overhead.