EagleWatch Daily Count : 2023 – 2024 season – Squamish Environment Society

This season, EagleWatch volunteers will be at Eagle Run dike to monitor the eagle population. We will be posting morning and afternoon eagle counts as well as comments about the weather and other sightings. Counts will be posted starting on November 4.

Date	Adults	Juveniles	Total	Notes
Dec 5				Count coming soon!
Dec 4 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM				Count coming soon!
Dec 4 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	9	3	12	Weather: 5 degree, cloudy, rainy. Other observations: common merganser(8), seal(1), kingfisher(1), sea gull(about 40), greater scuap(2), people(15), dog(2).
Dec 3 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	9	4	13	Weather: 6°C, Cloudy, 20% precipitation, humidity 83%, wind 5km/h. Other observations: seal, common goldeneye, common merganser, gulls, about 15 people on the dyke.
Dec 3 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	6	0	6	Weather: 3-4°C; foggy and low cloud; light steady rain; very chilly; visibility poor. Other observations: A very quiet morning; 2 separate flocks of approximately 50 + sea gulls each passed overhead flying North; 2 ducks swimming; 1 sea gull on light post; 1 gull sitting on a post in the middle of the river.
Dec 2 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	9	5	14	Weather: 4°C. Clear with partial clouds and sun. No wind. Other observations: Common merganser, Dipper, heron. About 50ppl on dike. 4a & 2 juvy eagles seen perched above mamquam river on drive home.
Dec 2 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	11	10	21	Weather: 2°C, light breeze, sun and cloud, snow and fog at higher elevation. Other observations: 1 Hooded Merganser, 4 Common Merganser, 37 Gull sp., 1 American Dipper, 1 Harbour Seal.
Dec 1 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM				Count coming soon!
Dec 1 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	6	0	6	Weather: light rain, cloudy, snow on ground and trees. Other observations: 2 seals, 5 golden eyes.
Nov 30 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	4	2	6	Weather: 1°C, cloudy, no precipitation. Other observations: N/A
Nov 30 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	7	5	12	Weather: 1˚C, overcast, light snow. Other observations: 1 dipper, 1 seal, 3 people.
Nov 29 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	0	3	3	Weather: 4°C, sunny. Other observations: 3 common mergansers, gulls.
Nov 29 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	7	1	8	Weather: Clear skies, 26F. Other observations: A few mergansers and a harbour seal in the water, no people on the dike. 3 people and like 7 dogs down on the beach.
Nov 28 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	11	9	20	Weather: cloudy and dark, 2˚C. Other observations: 1 dipper, 7 people on dike.
Nov 28 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	8	10	18	Weather: 0°C with sun and whispy clouds, wind NNW 5km/h. Other observations: 1 harbour seal, mergansers, goldeneyes, gulls, 1 off leash dog on dike path, 10 plus people walking on dike path.
Nov 27 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	7	2	9	Weather: 2°C, sunny and clear. Other observations: Coyote, 2 seals, numerous gulls, golden eye, common merganser, probably about 25 people on dyke.
Nov 27 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	8	11	19	Weather: 2°C with sun, misty light clouds, NNW 5km/h wind. Other observations: Gulls, mergansers, 1 harbour seal, 2 people walking on dike with 1 off leash dog, 1 person riding their bike, very quiet.
Nov 26 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	9	12	21	Weather: N/A. Other observations: Mergansers, buffleheads, River level very low.
Nov 26 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	6	8	14	Weather: -1°C to +2°C; some frost on the shoreline along the river; a beautiful cool morning with clear skies and sunshine; & a dusting of snow on the mountain tops. Other observations: 21 sea gulls flying overhead in small flocks; several gulls swimming; 2 kingfishers swimming; 4 mergansers swimming; 12 buffleheads swimming; 1 bufflehead on the beach; no seals; no heron; and no salmon observed.
Nov 25 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	6	2	8	Weather: 2°C, Clear Sky, 0% Precipitation and 0% Cloud Cover. Other observations: 80+ Seagulls, some crows and ducks. Roughly 100 people passed by throughout the hour.
Nov 25 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	5	4	9	Weather: 1°C, clear sky, light breeze, no clouds. Other observations: 1 Common Goldeneye, 3 Barrow's Goldeneye, 2 Hooded Merganser, 5 Common Merganser, 64 Gull sp., 1 Great Blue Heron, 2 American Crow, 1 Song Sparrow.
Nov 24 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	2	0	2	Weather: Sunny. Other observations: Multiple Common Mergansers, Barrow's Goldeneye, Gulls, Seals. About a dozen people walking. People by Watershed Grill.
Nov 24 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	6	7	13	Weather: 1°C, crisp clear and sunny. Other observations: 3 seals, lots of sea gulls, a kingfisher, multiple ducks- common merganser, Ruddy duck, Golden eye ( I think).
Nov 23 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	8	4	12	Weather: Clear and sunny, temp 7°C, calm, difficult to count some areas due to sun glare. 5 eagles congregating near eagle nest on east side of road. Other observations: Lots of gulls, 6-7 people walking dike, 4 seals, few other water fowl. No herons.
Nov 23 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	6	7	13	Weather: Sunny and cold. 6°C. Ice on puddles in the shade. Other observations: Many common merganser and gulls. A seal. Two dippers. A Barrow’s goldeneye. Five people on dyke and a cyclist.
Nov 22 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	13	6	19	Weather: clear and cold, sunny. Other observations: 2 seals, large group of mergansers, 5 golden eyes.
Nov 22 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	13	11	24	Weather: Cloudy but mostly sunshine, 7°C. Other observations: One seal, one river otter, common merganser, gulls, barrows goldeneye. Five people on the dyke.
Nov 21 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	8	4	12	Weather: 7°C, light rain. Other observations: 2 Pacific Harbour Seals, very few people on the dike.
Nov 21 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	12	3	15	Weather: Very chilly, cloudy, no rain/snow. Other observations: lots of seagulls, black/white ducks (Barrow's Goldeneye). Note: did not see any seals.
Nov 20 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	12	11	23	Weather: sunny, 8°C. Other observations: 2 seals, common mergansers, tons of gulls, eagles were very active.
Nov 20 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	14	10	24	Weather: 6˚C, clear, sunny. Other observations: 9 people on dike.
Nov 19 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM				Count coming soon!
Nov 19 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	18	13	31	Weather: 8.5°C, skies cleared with light clouds and some sunshine; snow on the mountain tops; a very pleasant morning. Other observations: What was interesting this AM was the amount of eagle activity: 2 adults eating salmon on the sand bar, one with three crows circling; 5 adults and 3 juveniles "kettling" for some time over the river; the eagles were very vocal this morning and many were flying about. We also observed 1 heron; 2 harbour seals; several ducks swimming; and very few sea gulls.
Nov 18 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	11	7	18	Weather: 10°C, cloud cover but good visibility. Other observations: 2 seals. Lots of people, a few dogs down on the beach. Got to see a few eagles eating fish in the trees near the northern most parking lot. My count includes 5 eagles seen far down south through binoculars.
Nov 18 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	20	17	37	Weather: ~7°C, clear morning, light breeze. Other observations: 2 Mallards, 2 Barrow's Goldeneye, 6 Hooded Mergansers, 4 Common Mergansers, 3 American Crow, 1 American Dipper.
Nov 17 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM				Count coming soon!
Nov 17 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	12	11	23	Weather: 3°C, sunny and clear. Other observations: common goldeneye, common merganser, glaucous winged gulls, american crows, 2 harbour seals, 25 people walking on dyke over the hour.
Nov 16 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	6	4	10	Weather: Sunny, partial cloud, clear, calm. Other observations: Common mergansers x4, mallard, heron, buffleheads x3, seals x2, roughly 40 ppl walking along dike, no eagles when I arrived around 2:10, most action between 2:30-3. Brought a scope and invited ppl to look at the eagles through it. Fisherman with golden retriever waded out to main central gravel bar and several people with off leash dogs along the shoreline across from Watershed Grill. Lots of glare from setting sun making visibility challenging.
Nov 16 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	18	6	24	Weather: 2°C, sunny. Other observations: 3 seals, 5 people.
Nov 15 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	18	8	26	Weather: 5°C, clear. Other observations: 3 seals, heron, 11 people.
Nov 15 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	26	1	27	Weather: 4°C. Wet but not raining at the time. Other observations: 1 Heron, many crows and any many seagulls. 1 seal spotted by a visitor (I didn't see). About 40 people walking around and some taking pictures. 1 senior tour group within that.
Nov 14 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	11	4	15	Weather: 6°C, mostly sunny. Other observations: 1 Pacific Harbour Seal, 5 Common Merganser (female).
Nov 14 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	12	4	16	Weather: 6°C, overcast with sunny patches. Other observations: 2 seals, 1 heron, 12 people.
Nov 13 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM				No count this afternoon!
Nov 13 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	17	8	25	Weather: 6°C, partial cloud, sun on trees at Eagle Run. Other observations: kingfisher, 3 seals, 41 people.
Nov 12 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	18	6	24	Weather: 7°C, overcast light rain. Other observations: 1 black bear, 1 heron, 2 seals, 8 people on dike, coyote reported 1/2 hour earlier across the river.
Nov 12 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	16	16	32	Weather: 7°C; Beautiful Fall morning; no rain; cool breeze due to Northern out flow wind; new snow on the mountains; cloudy. Other observations: A heron flew in and landed on the light post joining 2 crows making some commotion and racket; Other birds seen: 3 bufflehead ducks flew past; 3 crows acting up and chattering; over 40 seagulls flying over the area; 3 seagulls swimming in the river.
Nov 11 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	10	1	11	Weather: Cold, wet and cloudy. Other observations: Seagulls, herons and seals.
Nov 11 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	11	12	23	Weather: 7°C; Overcast; Cloudy; Light rain; Low cloud cover; Mountains with fresh snow. Other observations: Today, the eagles were easier to count since many leaves have fallen from the deciduous trees. We saw over 110 sea gulls in flight; 40 sea gulls swimming; no ducks or heron were seen; 1 dog walker; 8 people walking; 2 people running; several eagles (2 adults and 2 juveniles) were on the larger sandbar island and 2 juveniles were in flight; the remaining eagles were in trees across the river; no eagles were seen across Government Road.
Nov 10 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	10	3	13	Weather: 7°C, rainy. Other observations: two people, 2 seals.
Nov 10 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	22	23	45	Weather: 7˚C, overcast, some slight fog. Other observations: 1 black bear, 3 seals, 2 heron, 15 people on dike.
Nov 9 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	8	5	13	Weather: Light rain, low light, misty, 8°C, low cloud. Other observations: A few gulls, 1 seal, 2 people walking, no other water birds, no herons.
Nov 9 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	6	3	9	Weather: low clouds with fairly low temperatures at the start of the shift and then the sun broke through. Other observations: 2 deer, 4 harbour seals, lots of seagulls, 4 ravens, 2 common goldeneyes and other birds (but I didn’t pay enough attention) and around 10 persons walking on the dike.
Nov 8 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	8	4	12	Weather: 9°C, 100% cloud cover, some low cloud. Other observations: common goldeneye, gulls, hooded merganser, belted kingfisher, great blue heron, ravens, 5 harbour seals, around 20 people seen on the dyke over the hour.
Nov 8 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	7	7	14	Weather: cloudy with some sunny periods. Other observations: 3 seals, 15 golden eyes, 1 bufflehead.
Nov 7 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	0	1	1	Weather: 11°C, sunny. Other observations: Four Pacific Harbour Seals, 3 Common Goldeneye, 17 people on the dike.
Nov 7 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	4	8	12	Weather: calm, low wind, 10°C, a mix of sun and cloud, cloud level low on other side of tree-line across the river. Other observations: 2 harbour seals, gulls, 1 kingfisher, 1 great blue heron, mergansers. About 10 people walking on the dike path, total of 3 dogs off leash on dike path, 4 dogs walking on leash.
Nov 6 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	7	0	7	Weather: Light rain, drizzle, low cloud. Other observations: 1 seal, 7 people walking on the dyke (very quiet), plus just at the end a man and 3 children (all excited), mallards, Barrows goldeneye.
Nov 6 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	2	1	3	Weather: 10°C, light rain, cloud cover. Other observations: 1 black bear on the east shore, 1 Great Blue Heron, 11 Common Merganser (male, female and chicks), 2 Common Goldeneye (male), 6 people walking on the dike.
Nov 5 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM				Count coming soon!
Nov 5 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	12	6	18	Weather: 12°C; overcast, cloudy; we saw the tail end of a rainbow as we walked onto the dike; it started to rain lightly as we completed our count. Other observations: When we arrived, it was clear that the river was still very muddy with some debris being washed down stream; The up rooted tree was still stranded on the small sand bar which was now submerged under cloudy water still moving rapidly; We heard one eagle voicing its unique call as we arrived on the dike (a good omen); We saw Gulls (at least 74 flying overhead and too many to count on the small island to the North); 1 lone male bufflehead duck swimming across the river near the sandy beach; 19 people of various ages walking&/or biking with dogs; 1 large dead salmon at the mouth of the outflow stream head; 47 folks of various ages, some with children, walking along the dike; 2 people running along the dike heading North; and it started to rain lightly just as we completed our counts & observations. We saw no eagles or evidence of eagle presence on the Govt Rd side of the dike this morning.
Nov 4 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM	8	5	13	Weather: 16°C. Other observations: One seal, one blue heron.
Nov 4 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM	12	1	13	Weather: 13°C; windy; Slight rain at first, then heavier - needed to use the umbrella. The river was ripping - lots of debris moving down the river; one large tree washed onto island with roots exposed; river very brown and murky with material from up-stream; Overcast. A very quiet day on the dike - no dog walkers, no families, etc. Other observations: One adult eagle called out several times with its distinct call; we saw about 20 seagulls in flight; no seals spotted; no other water birds spotted; two people were seen - one running on the dike another just walking up to the dike from the road; no other bird species observed.