Search for Eagles report for Dec. 1

The Dr. S. Marie Kuhnen Memorial Field Trip Search for Eagles took place in the Delaware Valley on Sunday, Dec. 1, from 8 a.m. through 3 p.m. It was 23 F degrees and overcast with icy winds from the northeast.

The day began with watching feeder birds at home and at the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) that included dark-eyed junco, tufted titmouse, black-capped chickadee, hairy and downy woodpeckers, brown creeper, and blue jay. I logged 116 miles in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and Upper Delaware Scenic River from the Bushkill Access. The trip concluded at the headwaters of the Lackawaxen River at 3 p.m., 21 F degrees.

I led the search for 24 species of birds including 8 bald eagles, all adults. The first bald eagle was perched at the Pond Eddy Camp Ground along the Upper Delaware. A second bald eagle was high in a tree near National Park Service headquarters. The remaining six were sighted along the Lackawaxen. I did not travel to Rio or the Mongaup observation site, roads were icy and snow covered. I relocated active bald eagle nests along Route 209 at mile markers 16 and 17, near the NPS Pierce house, and at the Laurel Ridge Cemetery in Port Jervis.

Future searches

Join us to Search for Eagles, the symbol of our nation.

Future searches will be held on Sundays, Jan. 5 and 12, Feb. 2 and 9, and March 1 and 8, weather permitting.

To participate call the Search for Eagles field trip phone — 845-325-0536 — and indicate which trips you will attend. Meet 8 a.m. at the PEEC parking lot in Dingmans Ferry or meet 10 a.m. at the Historic Callahan House, 101 Route 209 South at mile marker 21, Milford.

Dress warmly, bring binoculars, field guides, and a lunch. There is no charge.

The eagle observation data that we collect is shared with members of the Sussex County Bird Club, Eagle Institute, and Hawk Migration Association of North America. An Eagle identification field guide and “Search for Eagles” instructional material will bald eagle provided for participants by the Paul F-Brandwein Institute.