Bald eagles gathering at Camas National Wildlife Refuge

“Here comes another eagle in from the north,” stated a gentleman parked near the Camas National Wildlife Refuge headquarters last Tuesday evening. “It is the first one from the north, as all the other ones have come in from the south.”

The observer was one of three from Idaho Falls who had traveled to watch for Bald eagles to come to roost for the night. Before I had to leave, a total of 14 mature Balds had shown up and were chattering about their finds that day.

I had spent the afternoon traveling from Rexburg to the Camas NWR looking for raptors, elk and deer by working my way along the farm roads between the Egin/Hamer Road and 800 North, northeast of Hamer. My goals were to see if the elk had started moving off the farm grounds, to check several cattle operations for eagles and then to see if the eagles had begun gathering at Camas.

Due to the lack of snow and the melting due to the warm temperatures, many of the huge herds of elk have started moving toward the Junipers and Sand Hills closures of human activities. I did find one herd of about 100 head grazing in a hay field, but they appeared to be moving toward the Junipers.

Near a cattle feedlot, I found three mature Bald eagles sitting on power poles and in scattered trees, along with a Ferruginous hawk harassing a Golden eagle. One of the Balds allowed me to get within 50 feet of it as it watched a cow that appeared to be in labor while the other two played tag with each other.

After getting some pictures, I left the cattle and eagles to head for Camas to watch and count the eagles coming to roost in the mature cottonwoods. The week before, I had observed only six that came to roost and was encouraged by the 14 that showed up.

In the past, the numbers of roosting eagles increased as cold weather froze over many area rivers where the eagles hunt during the day. Some years will have from 60 to 70 visits each night when sub-zero temperatures and the calving and lambing operations coincide, usually in the last week of February.

The Bald eagles will roost together at Camas during the night and, in the morning, will go to area farms to feed on the nutrient-rich afterbirth from the cows and ewes and the animals that die in the process. I have found up to 20 eagles sitting on an irrigation pivot awaiting these births and find them easy to get good pictures of. Due to the lack of cold weather, this year will be very interesting to see if they will congregate in large numbers, but the wildlife refuge is planning for it to happen.

On Saturday, Feb. 24, the Friends of Camas will host their “Come to Roost at Camas” activity starting at 5 p.m. and going until dark. They will have spotting scopes set up in the large, plowed parking lot just east of the headquarters, where people can gather to watch the eagles come to roost. They will also serve hot chocolate and cookies for all who attend.

There are several interesting facts about the eagles that roost at Camas. We rarely see immature Bald eagles join in the activity. Most immature birds roost at Mud Lake, a few miles away from Camas. Also, I have never seen a Golden eagle roost with them. Several Goldens roost in trees and on power poles nearby, but they do not join the nightly party.

Other dates to remember will be February 16-19, when the Great Backyard Bird Count will be conducted. This is my favorite bird winter count as it only requires a 15-minute time slot where you identify the birds seen, count the number of individuals and then submit the data on “e-bird.”

Last year, birders in Idaho found 158 species and submitted 1242 checklists. I identified 32 species in the four days and submitted seven checklists. If you want to get involved, google “The Great Backyard Bird Count” and follow their recommendations; I find it a lot of fun.

Have a great week, stay safe and watch for wildlife crossing the roads.