Bald Eagle Survey

 

By Bill Portlock

On November 10, 2001 several Northern Neck Audubon members went with Bill Portlock to survey the bird life and learn more about the Rappahannock River.  They got underway at 8:30AM and returned around 4:30PM.  Their route was up river to Rappahannock Academy (4 miles up river from Port Royal), 75 river miles including Cat Point Creek and Gingoteague Creek.  They saw 50 adult Bald eagle and 58 immature, for a total of 108.  Canada Goose 2550, Ruddy duck 285, Lesser Scaup 17, Mallard 200, Black Duck 5 (low), Green Winged Teal 125, Red-brested Merganser 1, Harrier 3, Great Blue Heron 9, Kingfisher 3, Snipe 80, Forster's tern 65, Royal Tern 2, Laughing gull 45, Ring-billed Gull 12, Killdeer 84 (3 flights), Hooded Merganser 4, Turkey Vulture 150, and Black Vulture 125.

Editor's note; Hopefully this will become an annual event that all members can look forward to.
Bill runs the "Teachers on the Bay" (see March Meeting notice) that will be held July 8-19, 2002.  Please tell any and all teachers you know about the possibilities of scholarships provided by the Northern Neck Audubon Foundation.  For more information contact one of the NNA Officers.

The following is the original article for the Bald Eagle Survey conducted on
Saturday November, 5 2001.
 

Members are invited to participate in a "Bald Eagle Survey" on the Rappahannock River with Bill Portlock, a research biologist with the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary and Director of Teachers on the Bay.  Bill will captain a 17�BostonWhaler that can accommodate up to 6 passengers.  Space is limited call Tom Teeples or Audrey Brainard for contact numbers.

The survey will begin in Tappahannock, November, 5 2001 at 8:00 a.m. at the Parker Marina on Rt. 17 one mile north of Tappahannock.  It will conclude by about 2:30 p.m. Participants should bring enthusiasm, binoculars, a drink, lunch and snacks, and dress appropriate for the weather (it is often 10 degrees colder on the water). This pilot program is available at no charge to interested members.

Scientific surveys have shown that between 180-300 Bald Eagles reside in a 35-mile stretch of the Rappahannock between Tappahannock and Port Royal, and observers may expect to see dozens of eagles on this trip, as well as other bird species.  In addition to observing bald eagles and other bird species, participants will also participate in an �ecological inventory�.  Scientific equipment will be available for the group to learn how to collect water quality data and use nets to perform biological collections and observations. Chart and navigation instruction can also be provided as interest and time allows.

Bill Portlock has been monitoring the Bald Eagle population on the Rappahannock River through river surveys as a research associate with the Center for Conservation Biology. He wrote the protocol and is the principal researcher for the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries� Mid-winter Eagle Census.