Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Survey
In mid-January of each year, a Bald Eagle survey is conducted at 17 locations in Kansas. These surveys are conducted by personnel representing Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Army. This is a part of a nationwide survey that covers the lower 48 states and is administered by the U.S Geological Survey's Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center in Boise, Idaho.
Most of the eagles that are found during these mid-winter counts are migrants from Canada and Northern states. They congregate along large rivers and reservoirs where they have access to fish and waterfowl.
Typically, 250-500 Bald Eagles are recorded in Kansas during the survey period. The trends for wintering Bald Eagles across the country are mostly positive. Results from the analysis of data from 1986 to 2000 show that wintering populations of the Bald Eagle in Kansas have increased 1.5% each year. The 2005 counts are summarized in Table 1 below. Reliable trend information for wintering Bald Eagle populations require many years of data over a large geographic area.
Eagle populations have rebounded strongly since the 1972 ban of several chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides including DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, methoxychor, and lindane that apparently had severely depleted eagle populations due to the effects of these compounds. Data recorded during this survey and breeding bird surveys are important tools in monitoring the trends of our national symbol. The Bald Eagle is still listed as a Threatened species at the federal level. If positive trends continue for this species' population status, then this majestic bird might be removed from this list in the near future.
Table 1. Kansas 2005 mid-winter Bald Eagle survey results.
|
Site Code |
Location |
Adult |
Immature |
Unknown |
Total |
|
01 |
Cheyenne Bottoms WA |
4 |
6 |
10 |
|
|
02 |
Arkansas River |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
03 |
Glen Elder |
10 |
15 |
25 |
|
|
04 |
Clinton |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
|
05 |
Flint Hills-J. Redmond |
10 |
21 |
31 |
|
|
06 |
Quivira NWR |
5 |
11 |
16 |
|
|
07 |
Perry |
9 |
6 |
15 |
|
|
08 |
Pomona |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
|
09 |
El Dorado |
9 |
7 |
16 |
|
|
10 |
Toronto |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
11 |
Marion |
6 |
4 |
10 |
|
|
12 |
Council Grove |
20 |
2 |
22 |
|
|
13 |
Big Hill |
1 |
0 |
10 |
|
|
13a |
Elk City |
4 |
6 |
1 |
|
|
14 |
Fall River |
3 |
1 |
4 |
|
|
15 |
Fort Riley |
78 |
78 |
||
|
16 |
Neosho WA |
2 |
4 |
6 |
|
|
Total |
88 |
87 |
78 |
253 |
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