Mississippi Power, MSU team up to fit eaglets with GPS trackers

Mississippi Power and Mississippi State University teamed up this morning on a very special project at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge.

A team slogged through wetlands this morning in Gautier to a bald eagle nest where a pair of eaglets were hatched in January.

Using equipment provided by Mississippi Power, the eaglets were retrieved from their nest to have bloodwork taken and then be fitted with backpack-style GPS trackers to study flight and migration patterns.

This is the sixth year that eaglets have been banded for the study and the third year that solar-power transmitters have been used. MSU Professor Dr. Scott Rush said, “It’s been an excellent partnership to figure out how these birds are doing, following their comeback story as the population continues to increase and get a handle on the health of these birds as well as some of the other aspects like what they’re eating where they’re moving to and where the juveniles disperse and what materials they use down on the Coast here.”

Mississippi Power Environmental Affairs Michael Harvey said, “We’re excited to see the interest … people following the flight paths of the eagles. And we really want to encourage people — especially our students — to get involved in environmental stewardship and conservation here in South Mississippi.”

The project is part of Mississippi Power’s environmental stewardship program to help Mississippi State learn about eagles’ flight patterns and preferred habitats to help them thrive here on the Coast.