BALD IS BEAUTIFUL; SOUTHLAND BIRDERS FLOCK TO WITNESS WINTERING EAGLES.Byline: BRETT PAULY Combine the recent word that the bald eagle bald eagle Species of sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) that occurs inland along rivers and large lakes. Strikingly handsome, it is the only eagle native solely to North America, and it has been the U.S. national bird since 1782. The adult, about 40 in. will soon be removed from the endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. list with the success of its migrations southward. What you get is a recipe Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, birdwatchers This is a list of the world's greatest birdwatchers, based on the number of species of birds seen. Depending on the taxonomic viewpoint, there are about 8,800–10,200 living bird species. find irresistible. There might be as many as 50 of the birds in the Southland. Now is the time when the nation's symbol is most visible and amenable to visitors. ``The wintertime is the time to see eagles. And there are enough of them wintering in the south that people don't have to migrate north, so to speak, to see them,'' said Robert Mesta, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Ventura. ``Traditionally, if you are an eagle lover or a birdwatcher bird watcher or bird·watch·er also bird-watch·er n. A person who observes and identifies birds in their natural surroundings. bird watching n. or just a nature fanatic and wanted to see large concentrations of bald eagles, you would have to travel up to the Klamath Basin The Klamath Basin is the region in the U.S. states of Oregon and California drained by the Klamath River. It contains most of Klamath County and parts of Lake and Jackson Counties in Oregon, and parts of Del Norte, Humboldt, Modoc, Siskiyou, and Trinity Counties in California. in Southern Oregon This article is about the southern region of the U.S. state of Oregon. For the University, see Southern Oregon University. Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. and Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern .'' Like other birds, bald eagles fly south for the winter. Here they socialize so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. in communal roosts high above area reservoirs that offer stable habitats - fixed water regimes, regular trout plants for anglers, ripe with meal-size waterfowl waterfowl, common term for members of the order Anseriformes, wild, aquatic, typically freshwater birds including ducks, geese, and screamers. In Great Britain the term is also used to designate species kept for ornamental purposes on private lakes or ponds, while in and managed with a manicure's touch. Healthy populations are found at Big Bear, Baldwin, Arrowhead and Silverwood lakes in the San Bernardino Mountains San Bernardino Mountains, part of the Coast Range, S Calif., extending c.60 mi (100 km) NW and SE through San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Notable peaks are San Bernardino Mt. (10,630 ft/3,240 m) and Mt. San Gorgonio (11,485 ft/3,501 m). , at lakes Skinner and Mathews in Riverside County and at Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. County's Lake Cachuma Lake Cachuma is a lake located in central Santa Barbara County, California on the Santa Ynez River. It is formed by Bradbury Dam, a 201 foot (61 m) earth-fill dam built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1953. . Four pairs make permanent homes on Santa Catalina Island San·ta Cat·a·li·na Island or Catalina Island An island off southern California in the southern Santa Barbara Islands. Discovered in 1542, it has been a noted resort center since the 1920s. since a program to introduce the birds to the isle began in 1980. Their fondness for Southern California comes as a surprise to many people, especially ``eagle virgins,'' as the uninitiated are so dubbed by Robin Butler, a staff biologist with the San Bernardino National Forest's Mountaintop moun·tain·top n. The summit of a mountain. District. Butler, who is in her ninth year of overseeing the winter eagle surveys around Big Bear Lake, helps coordinate the lake's ``eagle discovery tours.'' ``I've been with many people when they saw their first eagle,'' Butler said. ``People tear up and cry and hoop and holler. You get all sorts of different reactions, like, `They are so big!' For Americans, we experience two things: First, seeing this really cool-looking bird, and, second, there is sort of a patriotic feeling to it. Every time I see an eagle, my heart beats a little faster.'' Whereas nesting birds vehemently defend their territory, are solitary and keep a low profile in spring, wintering populations are social creatures from November to March and don't mind human onlookers. They are most active in the morning and late afternoon. Big Bear Lake artist Mark Bathen encountered his first eagle last winter outside his studio in Boulder Bay. ``It was like an omen,'' Bathen said. ``I was shoveling snow and thinking I really wanted to paint something to represent Big Bear and it was up in a tree looking at me. ``I love birds, but when it comes to eagles, they are at the top of the chain as far as intelligence; it was in his eyes. Their beauty, their loyalty to each other, their courage, their strength, they have all the qualities that we would like to possess.'' Bathen's encounter with the eagle resulted in a seven-part series dedicated to the bird and a large mural on Big Bear Boulevard depicting the raptor raptor In general, any bird of prey, including owls. The raptors are sometimes restricted to eagles, falcons, hawks, and vultures (birds of the order Falconiformes), all diurnal predators that “seize and carry off” (Latin raptare) their prey. . People don't often forget such experiences. Recently while I was aboard the Southern California Marine Institute's research vessel Yellowfin off Catalina's West End, skipper Jimmy Cvitanovich of Seal Beach pointed out a bald eagle perched atop a rocky ridge, not far from its pyramid-shaped nest. I watched it for several minutes through binoculars and was mesmerized by its grace and composure. It's easy to see why the bird was chosen as our national icon. ``They are just impressive birds,'' said Cvitanovich, who once enticed an East End eagle to swoop down within a few feet of the vessel to retrieve a dead mackerel mackerel, common name for members of the family Scombridae, 60 species of open-sea fishes, including the albacore, bonito, and tuna. They are characterized by deeply forked tails that narrow greatly where they join the body; small finlets behind both the dorsal and that had be tossed overboard. ``It's just like watching somebody do a great ski jump or something. It was fun.'' The natural range of the bald eagle extends from Alaska across Canada and the Lower 48 to Northern Mexico. Records indicate birds nested up and down the coast, feasting on saltwater fish, carrion and steelhead and salmon that spawned in freshwater streams. Mesta said with development, the loss of steelhead runs and the World War II-era introduction of the toxic insecticide DDT DDT or 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1,-trichloroethane, chlorinated hydrocarbon compound used as an insecticide. First introduced during the 1940s, it killed insects that spread disease and feed on crops. , Southern California lost its eagles by the 1950s. The bird was placed on the endangered species list in the contiguous United States in the late 1960s. Thanks largely to the outlawing of DDT in the early 1970s, Mesta said, populations have rebounded. In 1978, there were 1,000 nesting pairs of bald eagles in the Lower 48; today there 5,290 pairs. An eagle nest was discovered at Lake Cachuma in 1986 and other birds followed suit, repopulating the Southland by finding favorable habitat at other reservoirs. By 1995, the bald eagle was ``downlisted'' to threatened status. Mesta believes the species will be removed from the list altogether by early 2000, though some scientists believe the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is moving too quickly with its eagle agenda. ``I think it's ready to go off the list . . . and that it will do just fine,'' Mesta said. WILDLIFE SUCCESS STORIES The dramatic jump in the number of nesting pairs of bald eagles in the Lower 48 - from 1,000 in 1978 to 5,290 today - is one of several examples of successful American wildlife conservation efforts. SPECIES YEAR (NUMBER) NOW White-tailed Deer white-tailed deer or Virginia deer Common reddish brown deer (Odocoileus virginianus), an important game animal found alone or in small groups from southern Canada to South America. 1990 (500,000) 19,000,000 Canada Goose Late 1940s (1,110,000) 3,760,000 Trumpeter Swan 1935 (73) 16,000 Elk 1907 (41,000) 800,000+ Wild Turkey Early 1990s (100,000) 4,500,000+ Pronghorn Antelope pronghorn antelope a fast-moving, wild North American ruminant with hollow core, branched horns which shed their outer sheath each year. Called also Antilocapra americana. Early 1990s (12,000) 1,000,000 SOURCES: Wildlife Management Institute and National Shooting Sports Foundation The National Shooting Sports Foundation, or NSSF, is a non-profit trade association for the shooting, hunting and firearms industry. Based in Newtown, Connecticut, NSSF's membership includes manufacturers, distributors, retailers, sportsmen's organizations and media. WHERE EAGLES SOAR Those who wish to take guided bald-eagle tours or count birds for research have several regional options. Wintertime programs can be found at Silverwood and Big Bear lakes in the San Bernardino Mountains and Santa Barbara County's Cachuma Lake. Three-hour van tours are offered weekends and holidays from Dec. 12 to March 14 at the new Big Bear Discovery Center, 40396 North Shore Drive, 4 miles east of Fawnskin on Highway 38. They run at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays and at 10 a.m. Sundays and holidays (Dec. 28-31, Jan. 18 and Feb. 15). Prices are $25 for adults, $20 for ages 3 to 16 and free for children 2 and younger. Snacks, binoculars and spotting scopes are provided. Also at Big Bear Lake, volunteers are being sought to conduct eagle counts from 9 to 10 a.m. on Dec. 19, Jan. 9, Feb. 13 and March 13. Participants must be at the Discovery Center no later than 8:30 a.m. on survey day to receive instructions, data sheets and maps. Bring binoculars and warm clothes. Call the center at (909) 866-3437 for information on tours and bird counts. Hour-long boat tours are conducted at 9 and 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays from Jan. 9 to March 7 at the Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area, along Highway 138. The program is free with the $6-per-car park admission. Eagle surveying is done in conjunction with the Big Bear Lake bird counts; volunteers are needed. Information: (760) 389-2303. Up at Cachuma Lake on Highway 154, two-hour eagles cruises depart at 10 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday. A second tour on Fridays and Saturdays leaves at 2 p.m. Prices are $12 for adults and $5 for ages 12 and younger; binoculars are provided. Information: (805) 686-5050 or (805) 688-4658. Eagle counts are also conducted and the Cachuma Lake Nature Center has a display dedicated to the raptors; call (805) 688-4515 for details. Reservations are recommended for all tours. Those who prefer to track eagles on their own can call any of the above sites for information on where they are roosting. While not specifically geared to eagles, wildlife tours on Santa Catalina Island come across the birds on occasion. Information: Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, (310) 510-1421, Catalina Adventure Tours, (310) 510-2888, and Discovery Tours, (800) 428-2566. - Brett Pauly CAPTION(S): 4 Photos, 2 Boxes PHOTO (1--Color) Above, the late afternoon sun shines on an adult bald eagle perched along the north shore of Big Bear Lake. Wintering eagles are gregarious animals that share roosts and aren't shy of humans. During recent years, as many as 28 eagles have been spotted in the area around the San Bernardino Mountains lake, making it an ideal locale for birdwatchers. Van tours can take visitors to communal perches for up-close views of the birds of prey. Bob Thibodeau/Special to the Daily News (2--Color) Top, researcher Daniel Driscoll views three eaglets in Arizona's Sonoran Desert. One of the eagles now has a nest of its own at Lake Skinner in Riverside County. Robert Mesta/Special to the Daily News (3--Color) A bald eagle cackles on its perch. Robin Silver/Special to the Daily News (4--Color) no caption (Bald eagle in flight) Robin Silver/Special to the Daily News BOX: (1) WILDLIFE SUCCESS STORIES (see text) (2) WHERE EAGLES SOAR (see text) |
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