EAGLE EYES COUNT SHOWS AREA SIGHTINGS ON THE RISE.

Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer

HESPERIA - The object in Frank Morales' opera-style binoculars looked like the extension of a tree on a ridge. With stronger binoculars, Cecelia Dahl identified the object, which was at least a half-mile away, as a big bird. Joe Moore aimed his spotting scope and determined it was an eagle.

An immature bald one at that. The impromptu group had accomplished a goal, spotting an eagle. And all for a good cause.

Each winter, bald and golden eagles follow the Pacific Migration Flyway to Southern California, nesting in the San Bernardino Mountains. And each winter, volunteers throughout Southern California come to the lakes that rim the mountains to count the birds.

On four Saturdays in the winter months, volunteers count eagles at Silverwood Lake, which straddles the mountains and Mojave Desert, Arrowhead Lake and Big Bear Lake between 9 and 10 a.m. The first count was Dec. 16. The next is Jan. 13 with counts also on Feb. 10 and March 10. Data from the count is used in the nationwide Mid-Winter Bald Eagle census to assess the bird's recovery status.

``I've always liked eagles,'' said Dahl, a longtime Pasadena resident who recently moved to Victorville. ``I don't know why, I'm just attracted to them.''

Dahl, a first-time eagle counter, was the first to spot the young bald eagle. It was sunning on a snag, which is a large piece of dead tree, overlooking the main body of Silverwood.

``All of us old vets are looking at griebes and a first-timer finds an eagle,'' Moore, from Crestline, joked.

``I never thought I'd be the first to see one,'' Dahl said. ``I was just scanning the ridge and I thought I better take a better look. I'm very pleased.''

On Dec. 16, 18 eagles were spotted in the area; two immatures at Silverwood, eight adults and five immatures at Big Bear and three immatures at Arrowhead. It was the most birds spotted since 1991, when groups spied 19 bald eagles. The birds arrive from Alaska and the Northwest Territories of Canada in early December and stay until March. They eat trout and the migratory birds that also follow the same path.

Big Bear rangers began keeping track of the national bird, which has a wingspan of up to 7 1/2 feet and weighs as much as 14 pounds, in 1978. Silverwood began its census in 1985. The count depends on how many volunteers Silverwood ranger Steve Hopkins and San Bernardino National Forest wildlife biologist Marc Stamer can round up. Each usually has a core group. Lynn Johnson of Hesperia has volunteered for 15 years and Silverwood ranger Kathy Williams has done it for 14. But when the weather turns nasty, the volunteers can dry up quickly.

``Sometimes, it's snowing so badly, you can't see across the lake,'' Stamer said. ``That's when it might be just me out there looking and I won't see very many birds.''

In the first 22 years, the average count has been 12 birds per session. In January of 1984, 28 birds were spotted. Last year, 13 birds were spotted three separate times. January seems to be the best month for spotting the birds, closely followed by February.

``I love doing it,'' said Williams, who counts the eagles on her own time.

But it's not just about finding the birds. The Silverwood groups seek other wildlife too. Robins, Western griebes, coots, a redtail hawk and blue herons were all spotted.

``I love doing it with children,'' Williams said. ``It's showing them wildlife. They are our future and we need to teach them. Besides, it's a good family outing. After the count, you can hike, picnic or fish.''

Stamer and Hopkins have an eclectic group. There's first-timers, such as former Pasadena resident Chris Dahl, San Gabriel natives Morales and Vibiana Rendon, regular Moore and Johnson and bird watchers such as Jim Zirvotel of Hesperia.

``I like the challenge,'' said Zirvotel, who admits he doesn't get out as much because of a debilitating illness. ``I like getting out in the outdoors and enjoying all the things God has made.''

Moore began going down the hill to Silverwood because he was concerned with how the birds were coping with the chemical DDT. He did not see an eagle his first time out, but now sees one on nearly every trip. It's made him more of an environmental activist and a person who studies the watershed and how changes affect that watershed.

``I've spent a lot of time learning about them,'' he said. ``I wanted to make sure I saw them, so I've spent a lot of time studying.''

Next month, both the Big Bear and Silverwood rangers will be offering weekend eagle scouting tours. Big Bear tours begin at the Discovery Center, near Stanfied Cutoff on the north shore. Silverwood offers tours on a barge. Both are free (Silverwood birders must pay a parking fee) and reservations are required.

But many times, birders can find eagles without a guide, Stamer says. Birders need to look for snags, or the tallest trees, against the lake. If the lake is frozen, look in the trees above small groups of ducks, which use small open pockets of water. He recommends remaining in the car because it acts as a blind.

AT A GLANCE

What: Bald Eagle census and tours

Where: Silverwood Lake, Arrowhead Lake, Big Bear Lake

When: The remaining census dates are Jan. 13, Feb. 10 and March 10. Tours are at Silverwood and Big Bear every weekend, beginning Jan. 6. Reservations are required.

Silverwood: Ranger Steve Hopkins [phone]

Arrowhead: Ranger Veronica Magnuson (909) 337-244

Big Bear: Marc Stamer [phone]

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo: (1 -- color) Riverside's Ross Goulet, 10, stands atop a foam block at Big Bear Lake to view an eagle during a Bald Eagle Count this month.

Eric Reed/Staff Photographer

(2) A bald eagle keeps a keen watch of his surroundings on Eagle Point at Big Bear Lake.

Eric Reed/Staff Photographer

Box: AT A GLANCE (see text)