Pipestem, WV -(AmmoLand.com)- The 11th annual winter eagle survey of the Bluestone/Pipestem area is looking for volunteer spotters for the Jan. 9, 2016, event.
The four-hour survey will pair professional birders with novice or beginning bird watchers and assign them to survey observation sites to look for golden and bald eagles.
“Surveys are special days,” said Jim Phillips, former naturalist at Pipestem Resort State Park. “I’ve been involved with eagle and migratory bird surveys for more than 40 years and, when we have new folks join us, it is even better.”
Phillips has been observing and receiving reports about eagles sighted in December.
“The eagles seem to be doing strange things, maybe because of the unusually warm weather,” Phillips noted. “State line birds are already mating. One eagle pair has started a third nest at a site. Six bald eagles have been observed along Rt. 122 the week of Dec. 6. Ten golden eagles were observed at Hanging Rocks on a day in the week of Dec. 11.”
Phillips and others organize the survey teams and leaders with others who are interested and planning to participate. There are multiple sites determined based on the number of people who confirm participation. Everyone is contacted in advance with instructions and the survey location to monitor. When the survey concludes at 2 p.m., all teams meet in Hinton to compare and compile notes.
To register to help with the 11th annual Winter Eagle Survey, email Jim Philips at jim@tracwv.org, or contact Julie McQuade, naturalist at Pipestem, at 304-466-1800 or Julie.A.McQuade@wv.gov. Individuals contacting McQuade will meet at 9 a.m. at Pipestem Nature Center to caravan to the Pits area at Bluestone and be in place by 10 a.m. to begin the survey.
Past eagle and migratory bird surveys at Pipestem or the Pipestem area are maintained for public record at http://www.pipestemresort.com/Surveys.html.
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Volunteer spotters will work with professional birders during the 11th Annual Winter Eagle Survey of the Pipestem Area Jan. 9, 2016.
About West Virginia Division of Natural Resources:
Hunting and fishing in West Virginia is a time-honored tradition in which the majority of families have at least one member who participates on a regular basis. It is our goal to preserve this tradition and all wildlife resources for generations to come.
For more information, visit www.wvdnr.gov.