Press Release
Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc.
January 13, 2010
For more information call Renee Brecht at 856 305-3238.
Unprecedented Number of Eagles Counted on Maurice River
The Annual Cumberland County Eagle Festival is scheduled for Saturday, February 6, at the Mauricetown Firehall, and it promises to be an exciting event, as record numbers of Bald Eagles are now present on the Delaware Bayshore and along Cumberland County's great rivers.
Local watershed organization Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River (CU) has sponsored winter hawk, eagle, and waterfowl surveys for the past 23 years. Their wildlife consultants have tallied an unprecedented winter eagle populations on the Maurice River this winter.
Cold and harsh "old-fashioned winters," like the one we are enjoying this year, are well-known to bring large numbers of eagles to our area, as they are pushed out of northern regions by ice, snow cover and diminished food resources. Along the Delaware Bayshore, they find open water and concentrated feeding opportunities.
On Tuesday, January 12, long-time CU researchers Clay Sutton and Jim Dowdell counted a record 48 Bald Eagles present on the Maurice River between Millville and East Point. This was by far a record count for the area. "At one point, 14 eagles were in sight at once, some in flight and some perched. Many were squabbling over food and chasing each other," related Sutton, a wildlife biologist.
"There are actually many more than that in the area," said Sutton. "We had seen 34 Bald Eagles on the Cohansey River on January 11, and the Cumberland County Christmas Bird Count, held January 2, estimated at least 88 Bald Eagles in the County. And, numbers are growing daily."
"This is undoubtedly related to the cold temperatures this winter," elaborated Sutton. "It sends the eagles south from New York State, New England and even Canada into our area. They travel south until they find open water and feeding opportunities."
The winter weather, and the ongoing well-known recovery of Bald Eagle populations from the effects of DDT, have combined to create an unprecedented wildlife spectacle in Cumberland County.
There is great opportunity to watch and enjoy Bald Eagles this season, and the Cumberland County Eagle Festival will be a great way to see these big raptors close up and in the wild.
CU on the River!
