Golden eagle captured on game camera at Upper State SOA in South Alabama this winter
MONTGOMERY-This past winter concluded the 10th season of our golden eagle monitoring in Alabama. Game cameras baited with roadkill deer carcasses are used to monitor golden eagle distribution across the state. Since beginning this project in 2011, we have acquired over 47,000 eagle photos . To gain a better understanding of golden eagle distribution, we further expanded our camera stations south this year, adding Uchee Creek SOA and Geneva WMA to the additional seven stations already scattered throughout the state. Eagles were detected on camera at Freedom Hills WMA, Oakmulgee WMA, Hollins WMA, Skyline WMA, Talladega NF and the new southerly survey location, Upper State SOA in Clarke Co.
In addition to game camera surveys, since 2012, 19 eagles have been captured in Alabama and tagged with cellular transmitters, allowing us to monitor their migration patterns and movements in Alabama, as well as their entire range. Six of the eight currently tagged birds showed back up in Alabama this winter, including Coon Dog, Coosa, Keeton, Laurel, and Natchez. Trace also came back to Alabama, but not until much later in the season. Much to our surprise, he decided to make the long trek down from Michigan in late February, but he only stayed a week before migrating back north. While we were not able to band or put transmitters on new birds this year, we are still collecting valuable information through the camera surveys and the data from the remaining transmitters.
Golden eagles captured and tagged include the following:
- Hytop (2013)
- Letson (2014)
- Pinhoti (2014)
- Crotalus (2014)
- Jericho (2014)
- Freedom Hills (2014)
- Sand Rock (2014, TN)
- Talladega (2015)
- Shoal (2015)
- Natchez (2015)
- Coon Dog (2016)
- Elliot Creek (2017)
We look forward to another 10 years of gaining more information about this magnificent bird! To learn more about the golden eagle project please visit Outdoor Alabama.
Media Release/Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
