Bald eagle migration research - 73

Steve Lewis, Raptor Management Coordinator, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (left), and Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, demonstrate the size and reach of the net launcher used to capture bald eagles on the Chilkat River. The net launcher, sometimes also referred to as a ballistic net, uses three projectiles that are attached to a large lightweight net. A salmon carcass is used at bait in front of the launcher. A radio-controlled trigger to launch the net is used when an eagle lands next to the bait. The trap was used to capture bald eagles for a study being conducted by Rachel Wheat, a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz. Wheat is conducting a bald eagle migration study of eagles that visit the Chilkat River for her doctoral dissertation. She hopes to learn how closely eagles track salmon availability across time and space. The bald eagles are being tracked using solar-powered GPS satellite transmitters (also known as a PTT - platform transmitter terminal) that attach to the backs of the eagles using a lightweight harness. During late fall, bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River to feed on salmon. This gathering of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is believed to be one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world.

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Alaska Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Alaska Department of Natural Resources Alaska State Parks America BAEA Bald Eagle Council Grounds Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Chilkat River Chilkat River Bald Eagle Preserve Department of the Interior Haines Haliaeetus leucocephalus Klukwan North America Rachel E. Wheat Rachel Wheat Stephen B. Lewis Steve Lewis Takhin Ridge Takhinsha Mountains U.S. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service UCSC US USA USFWS United States United States of America University of California University of California - Santa Cruz animal animals aves avian bald eagle ballastic net bird bird of prey birds birds of prey cannon net cannon-netting eagle eagles education fauna graduate student horizontal nature net launcher outdoor research outdoors protected land raptors research research equipment rocket net scenery snow southeast Alaska team work teamwork trap two people wildlife

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Bald eagle research - Chilkat River eagle migration study