CdA bald eagle count nearly doubles in a week
WILDLIFE WATCHING -- The number of bald eagles has nearly doubled since last week for their annual gathering to feast on kokanee spawning in the northeastern corner of Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Carrie Hugo, U.S. Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist, counted 66 bald eagles Tuesday -- 58 adults and 8 immature -- in the Wolf Lodge Bay area. That's up from 34 eagles counted last Wednesday during her weekly survey. Two weeks ago she counted 18.
Bald eagles traditionally show up from early November into January for a winter feast of spawning kokanee.
This year, the gathering has been slower to grow. On Dec. 16, 2013, Hugo counted 129 bald eagles in the Wolf Lodge Bay area. The 2013 bald eagle count at Lake Coeur d’Alene peaked at 217 on Dec. 30.
Jim Fredericks, Idaho Fish and Game Department regional fisheries manager, said efforts to improve kokanee numbers and spawning in Lake Pend Oreille has attracted dozens of bald eagles, which avoided the lake 15 years ago when the kokanee population was nearly a bust. Granite Creek attracted swarms of spawners to the Bayview area.
"Spawning gravel was layered onto the lake bottom this year in Idlewilde Bay near the Farragut boat ramp and the kokanee found it in a big way," said Andy Dux, Pend Oreille Lake fisheries project leader. "The shoreline is littered with thousands of kokanee carcasses."
But more and more eagles are finding their way, per tradition, to Lake CdA, where the kokanee population continues to be healthy, Fredericks said.
Plenty of birds are showing up for good photo ops.
Craig Goodwin, pastor of Millwood Community Presbyterian Church and outdoor photographer, proves that with the photo above.
- S-R Outdoors is making it easy for you to share your photographic gems with our 2014-2015 Readers' Eagle Photo Gallery.
- See a map of the best eagle watching/photography areas.
Stay tuned for what's likely to be a lot more eagles at Wolf Lodge Bay during the peak period that's coming up.
- A record 273 bald eagles was counted at Lake Coeur d'Alene on Dec. 29, 2011.
