March 6, 2005 Bald Eagle Roost Survey

Photo Credit: Dave Baker

Join other volunteer birders in witnessing the annual spectacle of wintering bald eagles along the lower Hudson River. This will be our last count of the 2004-2005 winter season, as the eagles will soon be departing for their summer grounds and nesting territories.

Our approach will be to count eagles as they arrive in late afternoon at their communal night roosts, where they settle into trees to spend the evening. There are less than a dozen of these communal roost sites along the lower Hudson and by simultaneously counting eagles at each we can get a minimum count of how many birds are in the area.

The roost survey will be on Sunday, March 6 from 4:00 pm until dusk. In the past, we met at the Bear Mountain Inn but given that it is closed for renovations we will relocate to the parking lot for the Historic Fort Montgomery battle site. The parking lot is on the east (river) side of Rte 9W, roughly .75 miles north of the Bear Mountain circle and Bear Mountain bridge. We will meet at 4:00 pm for roost assignments. Dress warmly and bring binoculars or a spotting scope if you have one. Experienced individuals interested in going directly to a roost should contact me to arrange this in advance. If you plan to attend, please reply to Ed McGowan, TC Science Director by email (mcgowan@nynjtc.org) or phone him at (201) 512-9348. Instructions and field forms for this survey can be downloaded here or hard copies can be requested by contacting the Trail Conference:

Eagle Roost Survey Forms: (MS Word Doc)

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