Eagle Eyes Needed Near Temecula! 'Citizen Scientists' Sought for USFS Bald Eagle Count

HEMET, CA - U.S. Forest Service rangers are in need of more eyes to scan the skies during this weekend's eagle watching expeditions in the mountains near Temecula.

The Forest Service's third bald eagle count of the winter will be conducted Saturday in multiple locations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

"Counting eagles is fun, easy, and only takes a couple of hours," a news release from the agency stated Monday.

USFS personnel anticipate that more eagles have migrated to lakeside areas in the Inland Empire since December because of intense winter weather farther north.

The agency's 39th annual winter census began in early December and will conclude on March 11. This Saturday's outing will be the next to last opportunity of the season for "citizen scientists" to help gauge the region's bald eagle population, according to USFS spokeswoman Gerrelaine Alcordo.

Here's information from the agency about the upcoming counts:

• Big Bear Lake area participants meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Forest Service’s Big Bear Discovery Center on North Shore Drive for orientation. Contact Robin Eliason ([email protected] or 909-382-2832) for more information. Please call 909-382-2832 for cancellation due to winter weather conditions. If the count has to be canceled due to mountain road/winter conditions, an outgoing message will be left by 6:30 am on the morning of the count. Contact the Discovery Center (909-382-2790) for information about Eagle Celebrations. There will also be a free slideshow about bald eagles at 11:00 after the counts.
• Lake Arrowhead/Lake Gregory participants meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Skyforest Ranger Station for orientation. Contact Robin Eliason ([email protected] or 909-382-2832) for more information. Please call 909-382-2832 for cancellation due to winter weather conditions. If the count has to be canceled due to mountain road/winter conditions, an outgoing message will be left by 6:30 am on the morning of the count.
• Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area participants should plan to meet at the Visitor Center at 8:00 a.m. for orientation. Contact Kathy Williams or Mark Wright for more information about volunteering or taking an eagle tour (760-389-2303 between 8:00 and 4:00; or email: [email protected]).
• Lake Hemet participants should plan on meeting at the Lake Hemet Grocery Store at 8:30 a.m. for orientation. Contact Ann Bowers ([email protected] or 909-382-2935) for more information.
• Lake Perris State Recreation Area participants should plan to meet at the Lake Perris Regional Indian Museum at 8:00 for orientation. For more information call Lake Perris SRA at 951-940-5600 or the Lake Perris Regional Indian Museum at 951-940-5657.

Outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers who want to help out need no prior experience -- just warm clothes, a pair of binoculars and an hour to spare for each count, Alcordo said. Participants will receive brief orientations before trekking into the woods.

Eagles generally nest in the lakeside areas from late November to early April. Radio tracking devices attached to some birds show that, in a given year, they can migrate to the region from as far north as Alberta, Canada.

Because of hunting and habitat destruction, the American bald eagle was nearly driven to extinction in the past century. The birds were declared endangered in the 1970s. However, with some 10,000 breeding pairs identified across the continental United States, they were removed from the Endangered Species List in 2007.

Rangers noted that eagle counts will be canceled during inclement weather. Showers are expected in some inland locations Friday, but the disturbances are likely to clear to the east by Saturday, according to forecasters.

More information is available here: www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf.

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PHOTO: A bald eagle soars in Southern California on Jan. 10, 2015. COURTESY: U.S. Forest Service.

(City News Service contributed to this report)