The 6th annual Golden Eagle Survey is set for Saturday January 16th, 2010 and again we welcome and encourage anyone who would like to participate. Last year there were 100 observers on 40 routes. A total of 70 Golden Eagles were seen on count day, with an additional 18 on count week for a grand total of 88 Golden Eagles. You can run one of our established routes on your own or you are welcome to ride along with some of us. If you think you have good habitat for Goldens near where you live, you may run a route on your own "territory." The purpose of the count is to document the number of Golden Eagles wintering in WI, Mn and IA, but also to give folks a chance to see these birds. We also count all the raptors we see, so if you are looking to improve your general raptor ID, here's a good opportunity. To help with the sometimes tricky ID of immature Balds vs. Goldens, Scott Mehus of the NEC will be holding 3 class/field trip sessions, These will start with some ID basics and conclude with a field trip to some of the local wintering sites. Last year both field trips were rewarded with good sightings of Golden Eagles. Dates and times for the classes are Saturday Dec 12 at 1:30, Saturday Dec 19 at 1:30 and Tuesday Jan. 5 at 1:30. These classes start from the National Eagle Center in Wabasha MN. (note survey routes do NOT start from the center). Classes are free and open to everyone, even if you are not planning on participating in the survey. If interested in classes or joining us on the survey, please back channel me or email Scott Mehus at [log in to unmask] . Also if you see Golden eagles over the winter, we would appreciate an email, even if its not count week. On a related note, "Whitey" the Golden Eagle outfitted with a transmitter last year has returned from his summer trip beyond the arctic circle to Nunavut, and is now back in Trempealeau Wi close to where he was trapped last year (round trip 4,132 miles.) For more info on all of the above, check out NEC web site at nationaleaglecenter.org. Joan Schnabel, Fountain City W, I for the National Eagle Center. ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html