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Golden Eagle Update: January 28, 2025

By Andrew Berry

Bernheim Forest and Arboretum is pleased to announce both golden eagles tracked this winter are doing well although they have chosen very different strategies. Athena, the female golden eagle tracked since 2019, remains within the Greater Bernheim knobs region and has been using familiar roosts and ridgetops. Hermes, the male tracked since 2024, is still over 1,000 miles away in central Quebec.  

Knobs, Buffalo Creek Tact

Athena has checked in sparingly, choosing to spend most of her time within Bernheim and Knobs State Forest. During the blistering cold and ice of the past few weeks, she traveled throughout, even flying over some sections of Bernheim seldom visited. Perhaps it was the lack of human presence during icy periods that shut down roads or the need for her to find food, that led Athena to roam over an area of about 10,000 acres.  

Hermes has been more content to stay in Canada this winter. According to our research partners, he has remained the furthest north of all eastern golden eagles tracked to date from sample size of over 100 birds. While we cannot be certain why Hermes has chosen to stay so far north, his tracks have stopped heading south. For the past few weeks, he has been moving through an area crisscrossed by utility lines and roads in an area of mining and human settlement. The temperature, wind, and snow levels are much more intense than in Kentucky, but his behavior suggests he has good reason to stay so far north.  

Map of Golden Eagle ‘Hermes’ recent tracking

His tracks are interesting in that for several months they seemed to follow the fall caribou migration of the Leaf River Herd. The Leaf River Caribou migration moves from the Ungava Peninsula southwest to central Quebec. Along with the caribou herd are migratory wolves that cull the dying members, and it is likely golden eagles and other scavengers follow to take advantage of easy meals. Of note is research that documents a sharp decrease in the migratory caribou population, with some herds plummeting over the past decades to a point where their future existence is in jeopardy.  

Stay tuned as we continue to follow Athena and Hermes during the winter months. Spring migration is just 5 weeks away for Athena and we will wait and see if Hermes even makes it as far south as the lower 48. Special thanks to supporters of Birds of Bernheim, including Beckham Bird Club, Kentucky Audubon Council, Cellular Tracking Technologies, Conservation Science Global Inc., Parks Canada, and other partners that make the golden eagle research possible.  

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