Bird Alert - 31 December 2007 - Eagles!

Eagles in west Jefferson County

Following a sighting by Richard Carey of an adult Bald Eagle in a field on the north part of South China Road/South Broadway in west Jefferson County on December 30, we investigated the area today (December 31).  Towards the middle of the day, an apparently adult Golden Eagle was found initially perched on top of one of the poles of the high voltage transmission line, a little east of where it crosses South China Road.  The Eagle was also viewed from Lawhon Road which runs east-west parallel to the transmission line about 1/ 4 mile further south.  The bird spent a long time preening, and eventually took off, circled, gradually gaining height and eventually was lost to sight in a northeasterly direction.  Please contact us by email or telephone if you re-sight this bird.

While searching for this bird, John Haynes found three subadult Bald Eagles in a flooded field to the east of South Broadway in China/South China Road, about 1/2 mile south of Highway 90.  This is still on the edge of the residential area of China.  The birds were in a flooded field complex along with thousands of geese, mainly Snow Geese, but with a few Greater White-fronted and a few Cackling Geese (the small version of the Canada goose that is now a separate species).  They were fighting over a duck or goose carcass. They eventually left, one at a time between 4:00 and 4:30 p.m. leaving a Crested Caracara to continue feeding on a goose carcass.  Shortly after 4:00 p.m. the geese numbers were greatly augmented as between 5000 and 10000 geese rose from some area north of US90 and a little east of China.  The flooded field also had dark Ibis, Greater Yellowlegs, a very good number of Long-billed Curlews and some Dowitchers and Dunlins, along with some Northern Pintails.

In addition, three flocks of Sandhill Cranes totaling about 50 were noted by Steve Mayes in the area, and, at a prescribed burn on McDermand Road (about a mile further west), there were one, probably two, White-tailed Hawks.

John A. Whittle

409-722-4193

johnawhittle@aol.com