Meredith Lombard

At 12:28 on December 9th, an adult Bald Eagle flew past the Waggoner’s Gap hawkwatch; counted as number 536, a new season record for the hawkwatch.  Four more bald eagles flew past later that day. This is a reflection of their remarkable recovery over the past decades. Prior to 1998, the count at Waggoner’s Gap had not exceeded 100 in any season.  Certainly a reason to celebrate!

As of December 14, the total count was 20,282, including 550 bald eagles and 230 golden eagles. This count is already approximately 500 birds more than last year, with a few weeks of counting still to come.   Thank you to the dedicated hawkwatchers who brave often brutal conditions to capture these data and make such an important contribution to bird science.