North Okanagan swan and eagle count spots 206 bald eagles

Photo: Harold Sellers

The bald eagle population in the North Okanagan appears to be doing well, according to the region's annual swan and eagle count.

About 10 members of the North Okanagan Naturalists Club, along with family members and friends, conducted the count on Jan. 15.

The count covers a general region that includes Oyama, Vernon, Coldstream and Lumby, north to Mabel Lake and the corridor from north of Vernon to Mara Lake and Sicamous.

Birders spotted 206 bald eagles.

That compares to 128 last year and an average of 159 over the past seven years.

It wasn't such a good year for trumpeter swans.

Just 59 were seen, compared to 113 last year and an average of 100.

No tundra swans or golden eagles were seen during this year's count.

"The weather was mild, with low cloud and fog, resulting in poor visibility making observations difficult," the club says.

The citizen science initiative has taken place since the early 1970s, with data compiled and forwarded to a Kamloops-based biologist.

Photo: NONC