By Andrew Berry
Bernheim Forest and Arboretum continues to follow two golden eagles this winter, a female named Athena and a male named Hermes. These two eagles are following different routes and strategies for making it through one of our coldest and snowiest winters in many years. With warmer weather and longer days, we should see Athena’s migration begin soon. But for Hermes, he never seemed to finish his fall migration.
After 10 months in Canada, the male Hermes has taken his time migrating south. Hermes seemed to have ample feeding opportunities up north and spent most of the winter in central Quebec. His migration pattern was somewhat unexpected, with many east and west movements back and forth within an area. He endured extreme temperatures during mid-January near Nemiscau, Quebec, when the temperatures dropped to -31 Fahrenheit and did not reach above -4 Fahrenheit for 5 days. Still, he showed little urgency to head south. On February 19, 2025, he finally crossed the United States. He spent time at St. Joseph Migratory Bird Sanctuary, a major migratory destination for waterfowl and other birds and a location he visited last spring on his way north. Then, he continued island hopping on his way across the North Channel of Lake Huron, officially entering the United States while traversing Lime Island before crossing a stretch of frozen water just east of the Straits of Mackinac. His crossing was over an 8-mile stretch of frozen Lake Huron and directly over Bois Blanc Island. According to our partners at Conservation Science Global, from other tracked golden eagles, this is a very late date for remaining in Canada, where temperatures and snow cover cause difficulties. Hermes continued south into Michigan and crossed over Roscommon State Forest lands. We will continue to follow his path through Michigan as he moves further into the United States.
Athena, the female golden eagle tracked since 2019, has moved widely throughout the Greater Bernheim area during the last month. We have seen her travel as far south as New Haven and as far north as the Cedar Grove Wildlife Corridor. It was great to see her visit some of the newest protected lands around Bernheim, including the Buffalo Creek Tract and Lotus Wildlife Corridor. She has been observed with another eagle, a juvenile possible third year in the interior of Bernheim. Earlier in the year, we documented her interacting with another adult golden eagle, possibly the partner she was with last year at Bernheim. Athena usually departs from Bernheim in early March, with warmer temperatures and southerly winds helping to propel her on the migratory journey north.
Stay tuned as we follow the golden eagles into warmer months. It will be interesting to see how far south Hermes can travel, and it would be fascinating to see him still moving south while Athena starts heading north. It’s a great story, and we appreciate support from donors 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.
