Winter eagles have landed on Lake Buchanan; tours offered

CONNIE SWINNEY • PICAYUNE STAFF

LAKE BUCHANAN — During this time of year, taking a boat tour on Lake Buchanan could likely lead to a close encounter with a rare bird of prey.

“It’s big and beautiful and awe-inspiring — especially when they soar right over the boat,” said Vanishing Texas River Cruise Capt. Shawn Devaney. “It’s not just eagles. We see a lot of bird life.”

Devaney not only conducts tours on the cruise that lets passengers catch a glimpse of bald eagles and golden eagles, he volunteers every winter to help count the birds during the national Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Survey.

Forty states participate in the project to identify the numbers of eagles that — as juveniles — migrate from the north to warmer areas of the country.

The wintering eagle season on Lake Buchanan typically begins in November and continues through March.

“Lake Buchanan has always been a home for eagles. This is a place where juvenile eagles grow up and learn how to be mature eagles,” said count coordinator Charles Tischler, who has participated in the local project since 1985.

“The colder it is up north, the more streams freeze over,” he added. “It blocks them from being able to fish.”

For this year’s half-day survey, Tischler, Devaney and a team of volunteers launched the count Jan. 11 from various points on 16 miles of the Colorado River and Lake Buchanan.

One group used a 14-foot aluminum boat to drift from the northern end of the Colorado River at Colorado Bend State Park en route to Fall Creek Falls.

Also, volunteers boarded the Vanishing Texas River Cruise to handle another stretch of the survey route along Lake Buchanan.

Another surveyor positioned himself on Cedar Point, an LCRA property, in Llano County. The southernmost portion of the survey area ended below Garrett Island.

“Some years have less than four (eagles). In 1988, we had 34 bald eagles,” Tischler said.

According to survey results, the group tallied 16 bald eagles and five golden eagles during the three-and-a-half hour period.

Surveyors believe the current count indicates visitors likely will see an eagle while on Lake Buchanan about 95 percent of the time.

Tischler added that sightseers can learn to distinguish between a bald eagle and a golden eagle and recognize the markings of “immature” eagles.

Juvenile bald eagles typically do not reveal their signature white head and tail markings until they are 5 years old.

“Each one has their own paint job. There’s a little polished, bronzy look to (the golden eagles),” Tischler said. “Sometimes, the bald eagles have a grayish tint. They’re mottled, and they’re funny.”

Since the 1970s, the bald eagle, the country’s national emblem, has evolved from a classification of “endangered” to “rare,” which indicates a boost in their numbers.

“Eagles need some elbow room, and they need good, productive clean water to fish in order to fly,” Tischler said “Eagles are also indicators of a healthy environment. These are very rare birds, so it helps us understand the condition of the population nationwide.”

Each winter, Devaney not only anticipates the sightings and the survey but looks forward to the reactions of passengers during the winter cruise tours.

“I’ve been doing this for 35 years. I still love doing it. … People go, ‘oooo, ahhhh’ (when they see one),” he said. “It’s an unbelievable bird.”

To find out more about the Vanishing Texas River Cruise, 16942 Ranch Road 2341, call (512) 756-6986.

connie@thepicayune.com