Brackendale Winter Eagle Count

History and Importance of the Count

According to a Squamish Chief article of December 16, 1997, “In 1986, a group of people from the Lower Mainland gathered in the parking lot of a Squamish supermarket in the pouring rain to coordinate the first province-wide Bald Eagle count in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund. The purpose of the count was to determine the BC eagle population and identify significant wintering habitat locations. Brackendale Art Gallery owner Thor Froslev invited the crazy birders into the gallery to get out of the rain and has been host of the annual eagle count ever since.” The count became an annual tradition, supported by the BC Wildlife Service, the Brackendale Art Gallery  and the Squamish Estuary Conservation Society (now Nature Squamish). (Link to report for the 1987 BC Count.) Since 2017, Nature Squamish has organized and led the Squamish-area count, continuing this important legacy.

Originally this count was part of a network of winter eagle counts across the Pacific Northwest, documenting the size and distribution of the Bald Eagle population. The Brackendale count played a key role in highlighting the area’s ecological importance and contributed to the establishment of the Brackendale Eagles Protected Area.

Eagle Numbers and Influencing Factors

The one-day total has ranged from a high of 3,769 in 1994 to a low of 411 in 2016. These numbers are closely tied to salmon availability—especially the fall chum run—as well as weather conditions. 

Bald eagles typically migrate from colder regions where rivers and lakes are frozen, to areas with open water and abundant food sources. High water levels on the Squamish River in late November and December can wash spawned salmon in the lower sections of the river out to sea, reducing food availability. In such years, eagles move to shallower areas upriver or to inland spawning channels, making them harder to spot and lowering overall count numbers. When the supply of salmon is exhausted, the eagles move elsewhere in search of food or shift to other food sources such as ducks.