Tahoe Institute for Natural Science, with a small army of volunteers, tallied 42 individual Bald Eagles around Lake Tahoe!

For the past 40 years, the number of Bald Eagles in Tahoe have been counted each winter. This year’s count, lead by the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS), identified 42 individual eagles around the lake!!! Thanks to the careful and descriptive data collection by volunteers, TINS was able to differentiate 30 individual adults and sub-adults and 12 immature eagles. 2021’s count recorded 15 more eagles than the previous high count of 27, set in 2017.

The first counting effort in 1979 recorded just two Bald Eagles. Since then, populations have recovered marvelously as a result of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. TINS has coordinated this data collection effort for over a decade, “In a lot of ways, this count monitors the success of the protections put in place for these eagles, and it’s a lot of fun!” – Will Richardson, Executive Director – Tahoe Institute for Natural Science.

Photo Credit: Sky Emerson

In addition to record numbers of eagles counted, TINS had over 200 volunteers sign up to help count this year! Tahoe Institute for Natural Science would love to give a big THANK YOU to all of the volunteers for making this year’s Bald Eagle Count a success; this event would not be possible without you!

This year the number of volunteers doubled, and TINS believes this has been the most accurate count to date. As always, the tally is based on careful examination of the timing of movements of individual birds from one station to the next. The tally is believed to be accurate, and if anything, a conservative count.

See the KRCA News story by clicking here. 

See the Channel 2 News story by clicking here. 

Upcoming Events

There are a number of ways to get involved with TINS. If you like birds, you should check out Tahoe Big Year– a year-long, local birding event. Please check out the event calendar for the many ways to get involved with TINS!

Supporting TINS Work

Additionally, we would like to thank all of the count participants who already are, or have recently become, TINS members for their additional support. By becoming a member, you help TINS achieve its mission of advancing the natural history, conservation, and ecosystem knowledge of the Tahoe region, through science, education, and outreach. We believe that this, in turn, helps foster active and improved care, understanding, and stewardship of the Tahoe region from individuals, communities, and land managers, ultimately making Tahoe a better place for us all, including future generations.

To learn more about TINS’ opportunities and programs, including our education programs that have made over 56,000 student contacts in the last 10 years, please visit our website: www.tinsweb.org.