SCHIESS: The eagles have landed

As 18 bald eagles chirped together in pods roosting in the mature cottonwoods in the dimming evening light at the Camas National Wildlife Refuge last week, the red-tailed hawks started dive-bombing them. These six hawks were unhappy with the eagles coming in for their overnight stay.

“I have never seen this many hawks here harassing the eagles,” commented Pam Johnson, a wildlife biologist whose job was to make the weekly eagle count last Wednesday. “Last week we had 28 eagles come in with no Red-tails, now we have them chasing the eagles off their perch.”

The increase of hawks this early in the year may be due to the warmer winter and the snow depth. Last year a pair of Red-tails established a nesting territory in the cottonwoods in March and chased the roosting eagles to the northeast corner of the refuge.

“Even with the harassment of the hawks last year, we had our first documented successful nesting of a pair of Balds on the refuge,” Brian Wehausen, the manager of Camas said. “You can see the nest from the road and it will be interesting if it happens again.”

The Upper Snake River Valley has become the wintering ground of many eagles this winter. Often they can be seen roosting or hunting along area rivers and streams, but the Camas NWR has become the nightly roosting place for many of the Bald eagles over the past few years. Most of the birds leave the refuge early in the morning only to return each evening around dark. Golden eagles rarely join the Balds on their sleeping quarters.

“We usually have from 20 to 40 eagles roosting nightly here,” said Wehausen. “It seems that on the coldest nights we have the largest numbers. There is always an interaction between the roosting birds. When one comes in with a full crop, the rest know it and usually follow it out the next day.”

Feeding areas may be the Snake River for fish and waterfowl or winter-killed big game and jackrabbits left by hunters, but farms and ranches are the big draw.

“Bald eagles are scavengers and with all the calving and lambing in the area, the after-birth is very nourishing food for them,” said Wehausen. “That usually occurs in February.”

Observing the eagles at Camas is a welcome and enjoyable experience. The best time is in the late evening or early morning as they are moving to and from the refuge.

On February 20, the Friends of Camas will be hosting a “Come to Roost at Camas” evening for the public to join in watching the eagles from 4:30 p.m. until dark.

“We will have spotting scopes set up and will serve hot chocolate for the attendees,” said Lara Fondow, who works for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. “We would like to see more of the public come and view the incredible sight and sounds of the eagles as they come in to spend the night.”

More information about the activity can be obtained by calling Brian at (208) 313-2662 or contacting Mark at: snakeriveraudweb@gmail.com.

The migrating eagles are not the only wildlife to be observed at Camas NWR in the winter. With from 60 to 100 white-tailed deer, some elk, coyotes, raptors, porcupines and owls can be observed. Over 20 pheasants have been observed this winter on the auto loop through the refuge.

A trip around the auto loop in the afternoon or a daytime snowshoe hike on the unplowed roads before the eagles come in, is always a rewarding experience.