ARIZONA BALD EAGLE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 2011 SUMMARY REPORT Kyle M. McCarty, Bald Eagle Field Projects Coordinator Kenneth V. Jacobson, Eagle Management Coordinator Nongame Branch, Wildlife Management Division Photo by Greg Joder Technical Report 266 Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program Branch Chief: Eric Gardner Arizona Game and Fish Department 5000 West Carefree Highway Phoenix, Arizona 85086 December 2011 CIVIL RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMPLIANCE The Arizona Game and Fish Commission receives federal financial assistance in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration. Under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Arizona Game & Fish Department joins the U.S. Department of the Interior and its bureaus in prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, or disability. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information please write to: Arizona Game and Fish Department Office of the Deputy Director, DOHQ 5000 West Carefree Highway Phoenix, Arizona 85086 Or The Office for Diversity and Civil Rights U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4040 North Fairfax Drive, Room 300 Arlington, Virginia 22203 AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLIANCE The Arizona Game and Fish Department complies with all provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document is available in alternative format by contacting the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Office of the Deputy Director at the address listed above or by calling (623) 236-7290 or TTY 1-800-367-8939. RECOMMENDED CITATION McCarty, K.M. and K.V. Jacobson. 2011. Arizona bald eagle management program 2011 summary report. Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program Technical Report 266. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, Arizona. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors acknowledge and appreciate the assistance of the following people: Carole Glenn, Arizona Department of Transportation; Nick Fiscina, Arizona Public Service; Arizona State Parks Department; Janet Lynn, Arizona Army National Guard; Daniel Driscoll, American Eagle Research Institute; Tony Cecchi, GeoMarine Inc. (U.S. Air Combat Command); Mark Frank, Ft. McDowell Yavapai Nation; The Hopi Tribe; Liberty Wildlife Rehabilitation Foundation; Terry Gerber, Don Harris, Rick Poel, and Kyle Randall, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department; National Audubon Society (Arizona chapters); Arthur Benally and Cay Ogden, National Park Service; Chad Smith and Viola Willeto, Navajo Department of Fish and Wildlife; Freeport McMoRan; Tom Weissmeuller, Rio Verde Ranch; Dan Daggett and Brian Gewecke, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community; John Keane, Lynn Bredimus, and Ruth Valencia, Salt River Project; April Howard, Daniel Juan, and Jeff McFadden, San Carlos Apache Tribe; Tonto Apache Tribe; John Arnett, U.S. Air Force (Luke Air Force Base); Wade Eakle, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Amy Heuslein, U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs; Tim Hughes, U.S. Bureau of Land Management; Alex Smith, Nicole Olsker, and Mike Norton, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Greg Beatty, Carrie Marr, and Mary Richardson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Robert Mesta, USFWS Sonoran Joint Venture; Janie Agyagos, Deborah Brewster, Beth Dykstra, Noel Fletcher, Kelly Kessler, Amyann Madara, Vicente Ordonez, Henry Provencio, Albert Sillas, Andre Silva, Rachael Vaughn, Linda Whitetrifaro, Fred Wong, and Todd Willard, U.S. Forest Service; Robin Brean, Teresa Propeck, Verde Canyon Railroad; Cynthia Dale and Tim Gatewood, White Mountain Apache Tribe; Donna Bailloux, Elisabeth Burgard, James Driscoll, Barbara Jewett, Gloria Morales, Bill Van Pelt, and Arlene West, Arizona Game and Fish Department. A special thanks goes out to winter count coordinators and volunteers for their hard work and dedication, as well as to volunteers Ron and Doris Bell, Dave and Kathy Burton, Dave and Marcia Lamkin, Marta Peddie, and Perry and Irene Smith. This report, in part, summarizes the results of monitoring by the Arizona Bald Eagle Nestwatch Program using the breeding area reports submitted in 2011. Those include: Gretchen Henne and Brian Long, Bartlett Breeding Area (BA); Jennifer Lemieux and Philip MacAskill, Box Bar and Goldfield BAs; Joe Peddie and Marta Peddie, Crescent BA; Russell Seeley, Lisa Helgren, and Wyatt Nimitz, Ladders BA; Brittany Hoffnagle and Eric Hall, Needle Rock BA; Emily Willard and Neil Holcomb, Orme and Granite Reef BAs; Al ‘ Mac’ Evans and Sam Aguilar, Rodeo and Doka BAs; Dave Janssen and Sarah Betzler, Saguaro BA; Leah Vader and Jen Ottinger, Sycamore and Fort McDowell BAs; Greg Joder and Mary Raikes, Tonto BA; Dave Janssen, Emily Willard, and Sarah Betzler, Woods Canyon BA. PROJECT FUNDING Funding for this project was provided by: Arizona’s Nongame Wildlife Checkoff; the Arizona Wildlife Conservation Fund; the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Heritage Fund; Arizona Public Service; Geo-Marine Inc.; Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community; Salt River Project; San Carlos Apache Tribe; U.S. Bureau of Land Management; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; U.S. Department of Defense (Luke Air Force Base); U.S. Forest Service (Apache- Sitgreaves, Prescott, and Tonto National Forests); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (State Wildlife Grant); and Verde Canyon Railroad. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Study Area ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Arizona Bald Eagle Winter Count .................................................................................................. 6 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 6 Methods....................................................................................................................................... 7 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................... 8 Management Recommendations ................................................................................................. 9 Arizona Bald Eagle Nest Survey .................................................................................................. 10 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 10 Methods..................................................................................................................................... 10 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 11 New Locations Surveyed ...................................................................................................... 11 Historical Breeding Areas ..................................................................................................... 12 Survey sites with Existing Large Nests ................................................................................ 13 Breeding Areas...................................................................................................................... 14 Overview ............................................................................................................................... 16 Management Recommendations ............................................................................................... 17 Arizona Bald Eagle Nestwatch Program ...................................................................................... 18 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 18 Methods..................................................................................................................................... 19 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................. 20 Bartlett Breeding Area .......................................................................................................... 21 Box Bar Breeding Area ......................................................................................................... 22 Crescent Breeding Area ........................................................................................................ 22 Goldfield-Kerr Breeding Area .............................................................................................. 23 Granite Reef Breeding Area .................................................................................................. 24 Ladders Breeding Area ......................................................................................................... 25 Needle Rock Breeding Area ................................................................................................. 26 Orme Breeding Area ............................................................................................................. 27 Rodeo Breeding Area ............................................................................................................ 28 Saguaro Breeding