Come out and count bald eagles in Southern California, no experience required

Wanted: Volunteers, a.k.a. citizen scientists, to help count the number of bald eagles wintering over in Southern California — no experience necessary. It’s the 39th year that the U.S. Forest Service and California State Parks have organized the seasonal count to monitor how many eagles come to visit.

You can watch a pair of eagles with two eggs in their nest at the Big Bear Eagle Cam operated by Friends of Big Bear Valley.

Bald eagle counts are scheduled for Feb. 10 and March 10. Volunteers should show up with binoculars and a watch, a Forest Service news release says. After an orientation session, they are sent to observation sites where they record the number of eagles they see between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

The January count turned up five eagles at Big Bear Lake, three at Lake Arrowhead and a pair at Lake Hemet. None were sighted at Lake Perris and Silverwood Lake.

Here are places to meet to participate in upcoming eagle counts.

Big Bear Lake area: 8 a.m., Big Bear Discovery Center at 40971 N. Shore Drive/Highway 38, Fawnskin, for orientation. Contact: Robin Eliason, reliason@fs.fed.us or call (909) 382-2832.

Lake Arrowhead/Lake Gregory: 8 a.m., Lake Arrowhead Ranger Station at 28104 Highway 18, Skyforest, for orientation. Contact: Robin Eliason, reliason@fs.fed.us or call (909) 382-2832.

Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area: 8 a.m. at Silverwood Lake’s Visitor Center at 14651 Cedar Circle, Hesperia, for orientation. Contact: Mark Wright, mark.wright@parks.ca.gov or call (760) 389-2303.

Lake Hemet: 8 a.m. at Lake Hemet Market at 56570 Highway 74, Mountain Center, for orientation. Contact: Ann Bowers, annbowers@fs.fed.us or call (909) 382-2935.

Lake Perris State Recreation Area: 8 a.m., Lake Perris Regional Indian Museum, 7801 Lake Perris Drive, Perris, for orientation. Contact the recreation area at (951) 940-5600 or the museum at (951) 940-5657.

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