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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Field reports: Bald eagles slow to show at Lake Coeur d’Alene

BIRDS – The annual winter congregation of bald eagles at Lake Coeur d’Alene had not yet started as biologists surveyed the north end of the lake on Wednesday.

For decades, the eagles have provided a popular wildlife-viewing attraction as the birds are lured to the northeast corner of the lake from mid-November into January to feast on the spawning kokanee that stack up in Wolf Lodge Bay.

“No eagles at all,” said Carrie Hugo, U.S. Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist, reporting on her first weekly eagle survey of the season.

“I’d bet they are up on (Lake) Pend Oreille as I have had one report of eight eagles out on the ice.” 

Numerous bald eagles have been reported at other rivers, such as the Clearwater, where big runs of fall chinook and coho are providing plenty of food for scavengers.

The recovery of Lake Pend Oreille’s kokanee population in recent years also may be giving bald eagles more choices.

Last year at this time Hugo counted only three bald eagles at Wolf Lodge Bay.  “It is not too unusual for the count to be very low (in mid-November),” she said.

The 2013 bald eagle count at Lake Coeur d’Alene peaked at 217 on Dec. 30.

A record 273 bald eagles was counted at Wolf Lodge Bay on Dec. 29, 2011.

Bear spray offered free to hunters

PREDATORS – In an effort to equip hunters heading into a niche of Western Montana with a history of bear encounters, the state partnered with other groups this fall to offer free bear spray canisters to some big-game permit holders.

Jamie Jonkel, state Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear management specialist, said black bear and grizzly habitat overlaps in the Blackfoot Valley in areas that also are attractive to big-game hunters.

“When hunters are quietly pursuing game, and especially when they have an animal down, they increase their odds of a bear encounter,” he said.

FWP staffers share bear safety tips with hunters checking into two Block Management Areas and, for the fifth year, a free can of bear spray, thanks to donations from the Montana Chapter of the Sierra Club and product discounts offered by Counter Assault.

“We have handed out an average of 100 canisters for the past five seasons,” Jonkel said.

Research trail cams stolen along I-90

RESEARCH – Nine wildlife cameras used to track elk near North Bend have been stolen.

The Transportation Department was using the cameras in a project to prevent elk collisions on Interstate 90.

Workers noticed nine of the project’s 18 Reconyx cameras missing on Nov. 10. The cameras had protective steel boxes, media cards, and shielded padlocks. Crews removed nine other remaining cameras as a precaution.

One camera took a picture of a possible suspect, a man with a bandanna over his face.

“These cameras were doing important work that was able to help us build something that could really stop these collisions from happening,” said Harmony Weinberg, DOT public information officer. “It was really crucial work.”