Kaw Lake reports increase in wintering eagles

PONCA CITY, Okla. (AP) -- The number of American bald eagles at Kaw Lake this winter has grown to 168, triple the number of wintering eagles recorded at the lake in recent years, park rangers say.

Lead park ranger Jim Anderson attributed to increase to a larger eagle population nationwide and colder weather in the northern United States. The frigid weather drives the birds south in search of food.

"This really looks good for this weekend," Anderson said, referring to the Catch Freedom in Flight American Bald Eagle Viewing at the Kaw Hydroelectric Plant. "There should be a lot of birds around for people to see."

The eagles usually begin showing up in the Kaw Lake area around Thanksgiving and remain until about March, Anderson said.

Park rangers first began counting the eagles while they were still on the endangered species list. That helped officials gauge how well the eagle population was doing.

Now the ranger counts, which are conducted the first week of January when the migrating eagle population is at its peak, are more for public information.

The American bald eagle is no longer on the endangered species list, although Anderson said the birds still need to be protected.

"Man's activities can still have a negative impact on the eagle population," he said. "If they were unprotected, it wouldn't take long for us to reduce the population back to what it was in the 1950s and 60s."

Kaw Lake is one of several in Oklahoma where eagles spend the winter. Among the lakes and state parks that conduct eagle watch tours are Lake Arcadia in Edmond; Fort Cobb Lake; Lake Wister, Greenleaf State Park in Braggs; Sequoyah State Park in Wagoner; Lake Tenkiller in Vian; Lake Thunderbird in Norman; Beavers Bend State Park in Broken Bow; Fountainhead State Park in Checotah, and Quartz Mountain State Park in Lone Wolf.