At first sight, it looked as though Squamish's eagle population was nearing a record low this year - that is until volunteers for the 24th Annual Brackendale Winter Eagle Count discovered the birds are simply picking perches outside the usual scopes.
Despite a higher count than last year, numbers are still below average. More than 60 volunteers tallied 956 eagles on Sunday (Jan. 3), up from 755 in 2008 but still short of the yearly average of 1,637 eagles counted since 1986.
Of the total 956 raptors, 692 were adults, 254 were immature and 10 were unclassified.
"I can live with it. I didn't think we were even going to get five-f***ing-hundred," said Thor Froslev, who hosts the count at the Brackendale Art Gallery. "But anytime you get less than 1,000, it's not what I like to see."
Common sighting areas like the Eagle Viewing dike and the Mamquam River are sparse in comparison to historical tallies, with 45 and 47 birds counted respectively. And a lone eagle was viewed in the salmon-filled area around the Tenderfoot Creek Hatchery. Last year, 310 were tallied around the dump and airport, but a mere 35 were counted in the same areas this year.
"This year they were in areas where we weren't necessarily expecting them," said count co-ordinator, and Froslev's niece, Nina Rytter. "All the local spots where people usually go now had like three or four eagles, if even."
The highest number of eagles was spotted at the Ashlu River with 122, and the Lower Cheakamus was close behind at 112. Meanwhile, a river rafting team counted 93 eagles from the Ashlu to the Pilchuk and another 57 eagles from the Pilchuk to the Cheakamus, which may help explain the overall increase since there wasn't a raft team available to cover those areas last year.
But according to Squamish Streamkeeper Jack Cooley, the eagle population likely increased around the Ashlu area even though the numbers weren't recorded last year.
"That's possibly because, for the first time, we have substantial salmon in those streams," he said.
Local raft guide Nick Butler led the team over about 40 kilometres, including a 200-metre portage, in order to collect the data. But eagles weren't the only wildlife they saw.
The team also glimpsed a trumpeter swan and watched a deer cross the river before it was chased by a large fox, said counter Rob Moore of Brackendale.
It was Moore's first time participating in the count, but not his last, he said. He decided to drop a day of skiing to join the raft team at the last minute.
"There's no better way I'd rather start off the year," he said. "I could ski any other day but I can't do this every day. It's pretty amazing."
The connection between eagle and salmon populations will be explored further on Sunday (Jan. 10) when Damien Gillis presents his documentary on the fish farm industry at the BAG. The event starts at 8 p.m. and admission is by donation.
