Event tallies up eagles in Tahoe

The Tahoe Institute for Natural Science held its annual midwinter bald eagle survey Friday.

The survey gives researchers a snapshot of the number of bald eagles in the Lake Tahoe area during peak season, said Co-Executive Director Will Richardson. Teams of volunteers at 24 locations around the Lake Tahoe shoreline and two stations at Fallen Leaf Lake conducted the survey from 9 a.m. to noon Friday.

By noting the exact time, general age of the bird (juvenile or adult) and direction of travel, researchers can get a reasonably accurate assessment of the number of eagles present, Richardson said. The data are given to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which coordinates the bald eagle survey nationally.

Photos and text by Randall Benton

This story was originally published January 9, 2016 at 9:55 PM with the headline "Event tallies up eagles in Tahoe."