SEDONA, AZ and VERDE VALLEY, AZ and CLARKDALE, AZ--(Marketwired - April 18, 2016) - In February 2016 Arizona Game & Fish confirmed the presence of an egg in the nest of mated eagles known locally as "Clark" and "Dale." In the past, the pair has struggled to create a successful nesting site in the Verde Canyon near their namesake community, Clarkdale, Arizona. The couple's newest nursery was established in a stand of aged Cottonwoods just a few miles outside of town, between Verde Canyon Railroad's historic rails and the Verde River. By March, railroad personnel noticed that the eagles were exhibiting activity indicating a hatchling may be in the nest. The parents were spotted delivering food, and now instead of sitting directly atop the nest as they would have while incubating, they were seen perching on the edges.
In early April, Verde Canyon Railroad employees were able to confirm presence of a hatchling, using a telephoto lens that shrunk the 20 yards to the nest into a much closer view, snapping photos which captured the fuzzy grey eaglet peering back. The baby's bright-eyes, already five times more powerful than a human's vision, observed the train crew excitedly high-fiving each other, no doubt wondering what the fuss was all about. Very nearby, the ever-vigilant parents were spotted hunting for fish in the clear waters of the Verde below.
Because of its partnerships with Arizona Game & Fish and Scottsdale-based Liberty Wildlife, Verde Canyon Railroad relayed the confirmation of the eaglet in quick fashion, allowing a game plan of banding the eaglet to take shape. Banding allows Arizona Game and Fish to check the health and growth of the hatchling, and tag it to monitor the raptor throughout its life and travels. From the photos, Arizona Game and Fish was able to initially estimate the eaglet's age as three to four weeks old.
The Verde Canyon is prime eagle territory year-round, but during the winter months a large influx of seasonal visitors adds to the resident population during nesting season. In December 2015, Verde Canyon Railroad crew noticed this new nest taking shape in the colossal cottonwood between the tracks and the river a few miles from the train's Clarkdale depot. The massive bundle of twigs and sticks was unmistakable. With both parents taking part in construction, the raptors and their large nest became readily visible to train passengers during Verde Canyon Railroad's popular "Eagle Watch" season.
Since its 1990s inception, Verde Canyon Railroad has been an active sponsor of the Arizona Game & Fish's "eagle watch" program which enables "nest watchers" to monitor viable eggs and active hatchlings. In addition, the train employees often find themselves in a key position to report eagle activity due to the railroad's proximity to nest locations, most of them in otherwise inaccessible spots throughout the canyon's wild riparian terrain. (It sometimes takes a village to help wildlife to thrive and survive.)