15 June 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Evergy partnered up with several organizations and local landowners in a recent project to help out with the banding of bald eagle chicks across the Sunflower State.
Kaley Bohlen with Evergy said the collaboration project aimed to complete a banding project in Kansas for bald eagle chicks. Banding eaglets is a harmless process that helps wildlife researchers collect data on the big birds as they grow and move around, according to the National Park Service (NPS).
Bohlen said Evergy pitched in to help with its bucket trucks which were used to safely remove eaglets from their nests situated more than 70 feet up in trees. Partnering scientists from wildlife organizations then collected the size, age and sex of the birds along with feather and blood samples. The birds were also fitted with lightweight backpack-style GPS telemetry units to track their movement.
The aim of this project is to gain a better understanding of where young bald eagles go after they become old enough to leave their nests, according to Bohlen. Data will be collected on their airspace use, home range size and use, dispersal and migratory patterns.
Alongside Evergy, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), Conservation Science Global, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) and Wildlife Biologist Dan Goltz participated in this project. Evergy also recently participated in a banding project for a trio of peregrine falcons that were born on top of a tower in Topeka.