By Liz King
NEWBURYPORT — After decades spent on the federal endangered species list, the bald eagle population continues to take root in the Merrimack Valley.
Yesterday, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife's annual winter eagle survey of the lower Merrimack River area found six adult bald eagles and one juvenile bald eagle along the river between Newburyport and the New Hampshire line at the Tyngsboro bridge.
Erik Amati, a game biologist for MassWildlife, said that number is typical for recent years. Last year, four adult and one juvenile eagle were counted, and in 2008, four adult and three juvenile eagles were counted.
Though yesterday's temperature hovered in the high 20s, it wasn't quite cold enough for a perfect eagle count, as the river hadn't frozen over yet.
"When the river is frozen, eagles are easier to count because, to hunt, they will congregate where there is open water," Amati said. "Oftentimes, when the river is frozen, the open water will be at the bends in the river."
While many more eagles will arrive in the next few weeks as bodies of water in the Canadian maritime provinces and northern Maine freeze over, eagles seen yesterday are likely native to the area. At the annual Eagle Festival on Feb. 13, the expected 2,000 visitors to the area are virtually guaranteed to spot an eagle if they look hard enough.
Yesterday, Amati and MassWildlife technician Steve Wright spotted two eagles at the start of their survey near the New Hampshire line at the Tyngsboro bridge, then as they moved down the river, they spotted one in Dracut, two in Methuen, and two at the end of their survey at Deer Island at Cashman Park in Newburyport.
Bald eagles usually inhabit coastal areas, estuaries and larger inland waters — areas with trees to perch and open water to find fish to eat, making the mouth of the Merrimack River an attractive area.
The two eagles on Deer Island began inhabiting a nest MassWildlife made in a large pine tree two years ago, Amati said. Local wildlife experts believe those eagles fledged an eaglet last year. Another nest in West Newbury was destroyed during the ice storm last year, but eagles have been busy rebuilding it and may well reproduce this year.
Those will most likely remain year-round. The Merrimack River at Cashman Park Boat Ramp or at Deer Island off Route 1A from the chain bridge are both good areas for eagles to be seen without the need of a spotting scope.
Using ground teams of MassWildlife personnel and volunteers and helicopters from National Grid, as well as volunteers from the region's bird clubs, the statewide survey also performed counts in the Connecticut River Valley near the Quabbin Reservoir, the Wachussett Reservoir near Worcester, two ponds in Lakeville and Middleborough on the South Shore and the Merrimack River. Though this year's statewide numbers have not been released, last year's survey peaked at 80 eagles, the highest count since the database was started in 1979.
"It's been a real productive and positive endeavor by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and everyone involved," Amati said. "It's a lot of area to cover, and there's been a big effort and a lot of help from various clubs and the public."
State environmental officials usually conduct one eagle count the first week of the new year. They also follow up in the spring, climbing up to eagle's nests to count eggs and put identifying bands around the legs of hatchlings, which have hatched near West Newbury and Haverhill.
"The count is a baseline survey to get trends, gives us a unique source of long-term information," Amati said. "We can learn about factors that are potential threats to the habitat. If we see eagles nesting in the same trees every year, we know that cutting down that tree would be critical to the count."
EAGLE FESTIVAL
When: Feb. 13
Where: Newburyport and surrounding area
For more information: Visit www.massaudubon.com/eaglefestival or call 978-462-9998
