The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Abiquiu Lake hosted its eighth annual midwinter eagle watch on Jan. 8. There were 15 confirmed eagle sightings, the most ever.
The purpose of the watch is to collect data to assist in national and local tracking of the birds’ numbers and to ensure Abiquiu Lake’s habitat meets the needs of bald eagles. National Wildlife Federation officials have asked participants in each state to count eagles along standard routes to provide data trends.
The annual midwinter survey represents a unique source of long-term, baseline data. Unlike nesting surveys, it provides information on both breeding and non-breeding segments of the population at a potentially limiting time of year. The count has become a national tradition since 1984.