Eagle Numbers On The Rise at Lake Coeur d’Alene

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — After two years of a low eagle turnout on Lake Coeur d'Alene, officials say the birds are back in full force.

The Coeur d'Alene Press reports that the Bureau of Land Management counted 126 birds at the lake Thursday, compared to just 34 at this time last year and 86 in 2013. BLM public affairs officer Suzanne Endsley says that's probably because of an abundant kokanee salmon population and mild weather that has kept the lake edges from freezing.

She says kokanee spawn on the east side of the lake, which was frozen by an arctic front last year. That made the fish less accessible to the birds. The lake's eagle season generally runs from mid-November to early February, with numbers peaking around Christmas.