Eagle Watch 2012

Last Saturday's Eagle Watch 2012 was almost a disaster, thanks to the late winter wind - and snow - storm that hit the night before. The drive to PGE's Round Butte Visitor Center (RBVC) was very exciting on some roads, while at others, the pavement was bare, and the air toasty warm. Thankfully, when the visitors and participants arrived they were greeted by blue sky here and there, but with a cold wind howling.

Eagle Watch is held on the last weekend in February at Round Butte Overlook Park visitor center, 10 miles west of Madras. The yurt village set up on the grass features exhibits, displays, and presentations by regional birds-of-prey experts.

Every one of the presenters was there to provide the visitors with a grand show in their respective fields. Frank Isaacs, of the Oregon Eagle Foundation, presented two programs each day, Saturday and Sunday, on the status of bald eagles, and current research the foundation is doing on a statewide census of golden eagles.

The parents and children who visited the Museum at Warm Springs yurt were thrilled with the wondrous history of the Warm Springs People. Right next door was an exhibit of the Jefferson County/Madras Chamber that provided visitors with information on the area and special places to go.

Mary Yanalcanlin and her team from East Cascades Audubon Society renamed just about every child that attended Eagle Watch.

Yanalcanlin had a tape measure mounted to a wallboard that she used to measure the "wing-span" of every child that wanted to know how they measured up to Oregon's birds.

At the point where the span ended, there were measurements and photos of a variety of birds - from swans and Canada geese to eagles and crows.

If a child's span reached that of the American crow, for example, he or she was given that bird's name on a sticker placed on the front of jackets or sweaters.

Then, if each child went to each presenter and got an owl stamped on the program they were awarded a prize.

A special visitor made it from Salem: Billy Smith, in spite of having his dad's car sideswiped while he was putting on chains along Highway 20. Billy is now an Eagle Scout who took on a project that has special significance to Eagle Watch. Last year he heard about a grounded golden eagle that was hit by a car and lost part of a wing. Billy decided he wanted to gather up the scouts in his troop and make a large open-air cage for the eagle at Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center.

His Eagle Scout Committee and his parents thought that would be a wonderful project - and so did a number of businesses in the community who donated all the materials. The project was a huge success. Billy has his Eagle Scout award, and now he's looking forward to earning the Hornaday Award, Scouting's highest award in wildlife conservation - and Aztec, the center's grounded eagle, has a new and comfortable home.