Editor's note: Freelance writer Dawn Green joined the 26th annual Brackendale Winter Bald Eagle Count on Sunday (Jan. 8), covering the Judd Slough to Indian Reserve Bluffs counting area for The Chief.
Staring intently, I carefully scan the far shore of the 撸奶社区River and the mist-shrouded trees, searching for that tell-tale sign. Finally I see it - the flash of white of an adult bald eagle's head among a sea of green trees. I alert my two fellow counters and we train our binoculars and scope on the bird. Sharing satisfied smiles, we add it to our list.
This is the 26th year of the Brackendale Eagle Count and I am lending a hand - and a pair of eyes - to the important community science initiative.
The Brackendale Eagle Count is the longest running count of its kind in the world. Occurring every January, it coincides with the annual congregation of bald eagles on the shores of the rivers surrounding Brackendale to feed on the spawning chum salmon. Large numbers of bald eagles can be seen from the river dikes, feeding along sandbars or roosting in nearby cottonwood trees.
On the big day, trained counters assemble at the Brackendale Art Gallery (BAG). Heading out on foot, by raft or kayak to one of 17 designated areas, counters are armed with rain gear, binoculars and clipboards. The count is tallied throughout the day on a large screen as the groups return to the gallery.
I have been placed with the group responsible for Area 7 Judd Slough to Indian Reserve Bluffs, a two-kilometre stretch of eagle territory running alongside the 撸奶社区River. My companions are Mike Shaw and Steve Britten, both in their 60s and originally from South Africa. Keen birders, they have been participating in the count for more than 11 years.
They share with me their thoughts on the eagle count.
"To me it's a privilege to be a part of this," Britten said. "It's all part of a bigger picture and it's great to be a part of that in our very small way, doing the count on a single day."
Shaw said he loves communing with nature and that the eagle count day is a highlight on his calendar.
Walking along the dike, stopping on the riverbank and bushwhacking through the trees, we meticulously count not only adults, but also immature eagles as they perch in trees or soar above the river.
The friendly rivalry between the two old friends is perceptible as they exchange jokes about who is the best counter.
On a more serious note, they point out the lack of salmon carcasses on the sandy banks as a possible link to the lower eagle counts. Britten recalls walking over "a carpet of fish" in previous years and of counting upwards of 400 eagles. Our total this time was a mere 45.
This is a point which Thor Froslev, one of the count co-ordinators, along with Patricia Heintzman and Nina Rytter, stresses back at BAG when we return from the count.
The grand total for this year's count is 655 eagles, up only slightly from last year.
"For the last four years we haven't had more than 1,000 eagles counted," Froslev said. "And that is solely because there is not enough chum salmon."
Froslev believes the wild salmon get infested with sea lice when they pass the commercial fish farms, which leads to mortalities in the wild populations. That, in turn, means that bald eagles end up starving as a result, he said.
Which is another reason the annual eagle count is so critical, Froslev continued.
"[The count] is the only way that you have any kind of barometer of what's happening," he explained, noting that the data collected on adult and immature bald eagles is submitted each year to the B.C. Wildlife Service and offers an ongoing picture on the health of eagle populations.
The Eagle Festival, which continues throughout the month of January, is also a means to bring awareness of the greater conservation issues that sustain this habitat for bald eagles.
"In the past 25 years, we have seen many changes and events come to pass that have continually reinforced our goal to preserve and enhance the unique natural phenomenon that is the eagles of Brackendale," Froslev said.
The Brackendale Winter Eagle Festival consists of a series of lectures, concerts, art displays and more at BAG. Visit www.brackendaleartgallery.com for more information.
