It’s January and in Brackendale that means it’s time to check the skies, the trees and the river.
The eagles are back, and for the 29th straight year, their arrival will be celebrated with the annual Eagle Festival and Count.
Everything kicks off with the annual count on Sunday (Jan. 4). Coordinated by Thor Froslev and Nina Rytter, the eagle count is administered by the B.C. Wildlife Service, the Squamish Estuary Conservation Society and the Brackendale Art Gallery Society.
Counters gather, at the appointed time, at the Brackendale Art Gallery and are assigned to the 17 areas in groups under the leadership of experienced counters, according to their willingness to bushwack or just walk. The count is tallied throughout the day and the groups return to the gallery later on Sunday.
Last year 1,617 eagles were counted, the most since 2007. It was the third straight year the count had increased since the second-lowest total of 627 was recorded in 2011.
This year’s count will be highlighted by a concert on Sunday featuring the Salay Family and the Larson sisters. The family of four experienced musicians are making their local debut at the concert starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are available for $15 at the BAG or Xocolatl.
But there`s more than just the count at the festival. Stephen Foster, the Howe Sound campaign lead for the David Suzuki Foundation, is hosting a talk on Jan. 11 to discuss the campaign and look at what the future of the region is. The talk goes down at 8 p.m. at the BAG and admission is by donation.
Alexandra Morton makes her return to the BAG on Jan. 25 for a discussion about our fish and waterways. The talk, entitled Wild Salmon – It is up to us, promises to showcase some of what she`s learned in her quarter century of research on the topic.
Other musicians appearing at the BAG in January include: Dianna Knight and the Hot Club of Mars on Jan. 17, Marc Destrube and Friends on Jan. 21, and Vlady returns for the Eagle Festival Wing Ding on Jan. 31.
For more on the festival, visit www.brackendaleartgallery.com.
