INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — It’s time to polish up those binoculars.  The Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS) is hosting its annual Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Survey on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers are grouped into small teams and stationed at one of 26 vantage points throughout the Tahoe basin, mostly around the lakeshore, to get an accurate snapshot of eagle numbers at the lake.

This annual event is part of a nationwide census of the country’s bald eagle populations.TINS took over local coordination of the monitoring effort in 2012 for the entire Tahoe basin and is now calling for volunteers to sign up via this link: https://www.tinsweb.org/midwinter-bald-eagle-count.

“Because Lake Tahoe maintains open water throughout the winter, it’s a prime feeding spot for the eagles, when other water bodies in the broader region have frozen over,” says Will Richardson, Executive Director at TINS.  “We usually have pretty good luck, and most stations will see at least one eagle fly by at some point. The goal is just to keep an eye on the population and make sure the protection measures in place are working.” The spotters take careful notes on the age, time, and direction of travel of every eagle spotted. When the data are compiled, TINS is able to plot the movements of each individual bird and get an accurate count for the day. 

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Birders of all experience levels are welcome to participate, and TINS will try to accommodate volunteers’ preferred location. To help prepare, TINS is also hosting a talk the evening before, on Jan. 9. This free event will cover the history of bald eagles and their conservation in the United States,  how the count works, and how to identify and age bald eagles. This talk serves as an excellent primer for those interested in joining future counts. To sign up for this event, visit: https://www.tinsweb.org/upcoming-events/2022-mid-winter-bald-eagle-count-s2tr4-k8n9m-45ra4-yk2af

The Rise, Fall and Return of America’s Eagles

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The national symbol of America became a protected species in 1940, but populations continued to decline dramatically with the introduction of the insecticide DDT. The continent-wide count began in 1979, with Tahoe participating in all but two years since then. In the early years, Tahoe’s count would typically record only two or three bald eagles annually. However, survey numbers have continued to trend upward, with at least 30 eagles being tallied in three of the last four years. This tracks with the national trend – a 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report estimated that the bald eagle population in the Lower 48 states had quadrupled since 2009.

Tahoe hit a record count in 2021 with 42 individual eagles. While experts expect the upward trend to eventually level off due to carrying capacity and competition for resources, it’s not yet clear if the local population has reached that upper limit.

To participate in the Tahoe Bald Eagle Count day, learn more or support TINS with a contribution, visit https://www.tinsweb.org/midwinter-bald-eagle-count.