An Open Letter on this Year’s Low Eagle Count Is the Recent Development Near Key Eagle Areas at Fault?

  This is a note from Professor Tim Moermond, an ornithology expert from the University of Wisconsin. The recent development near major eagle roosts is my opinion for the low number of eagles. But, my observations are without the time for a major study and many things can change and adapt over time. The disappearance of a main eagle food, the gizzars shad, may also have played a role with extreme weather again this winter. Only time will tell, but development always wins over conservation and wildlife!

It was disappointing to see the low total number of eagles here on Jan. 18. I fear next week may be even lower.    Following our program for the eagle “disturbance study”, this last weekend, Jan 25, four of us counted at the Blackhawk and Sugarloaf roosts. Sugarloaf roost counters: Tim Moermond, Donna Stehling and Gary Engberg; Blackhawk Roost counter: Bill Stehling.

On January 25, we counted from 3:30–5:30PM and recorded only 6 eagles for the two Sauk Prairie roosts compared to 11 on January 18.
I put the details below for Blackhawk and Sugarloaf for both the 25th and the 18th. I hope this does not mean the eagle count for the area is declining even further, but I fear it does.

Tim

We only recorded a total of 6 eagles at the
25 January special roost count, only for the 2 Sauk Prairie roosts:
ROOST Adult Imm Unknown TOTAL
Blackhawk 1 1 2
Sugarloaf 1 3 4
TOTAL 2 4 6

18 January roost counts (only Sauk Prairie roosts shown):
ROOST Adult Imm Unknown TOTAL
Blackhawk 5 2 7
Sugarloaf 2 2 4
TOTAL 7 4 11