OG&E employees partnered with the Sutton Avian Research Center to help with bald eagle observations by OG&E’s Horseshoe Lake Power Plant in Harrah.

HARRAH, OKLA. (June 29, 2021) - For the past 6 months, OG&E Senior Envirochemist Jason Childress got to add “bald eagle observation” to his daily task list.

A pair of American bald eagles share a nest in a tree near OG&E’s Horseshoe Lake Power Plant in Harrah. According to Childress, the nest has been on the property for about 10 years and the electric company has worked with Sutton Avian Research Center’s bald eagle survey team to observe the birds in the past. For the past year, however, due to COVID-19 safety protocols, OG&E could not allow visitors on the property. Together they came up with the idea to train Childress and Plant Chemist Bill Baack to record and share observations with the research center.

“Jason and Bill essentially became an extension of our bald eagle survey team,” said Lena Larsson, executive director with the Sutton Center. “Citizen scientists are critical to our mission of bald eagle protection and monitoring, so training Jason and Bill to be our eyes on the ground was perfect.”

In February, Childress observed the female bird sitting on the nest for long periods of time.

“Based on feedback from the Sutton Center, we knew that she had laid at least one egg, or as many as three eggs,” Childress said.

Then came a long stretch of severe winter weather and dangerously low temperatures across the Midwest. Everyone involved in the project was fearful that the eggs would not survive, but Childress continued his observations and the birds continued to roost, giving the team hope.

Finally, in late May, Childress and his team noted new movement in the nest. Three eagle chicks had hatched.

“That was an exciting moment for everyone,” said Childress. “We couldn’t believe that the eggs made it through that cold weather. It was a great example of the resilience of nature and for me it brought new meaning to our company’s motto: we energize life.”

In the last few weeks, the young birds have learned to fly and have left their nest but can still be seen in the area.

“Jason and his team did a fantastic job, and we are grateful that they were able to make observations when we couldn’t access the property,” said Larsson. “Many thanks to OG&E for taking on this project and for embracing the importance of bald eagle conservation.”

About OG&E

Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE: OGE), is Oklahoma's largest electric utility. For more than a century, we have provided customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas the safe, reliable electricity needed to power their businesses and homes with the nation's lowest electric rates, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Our employees are committed to generating and delivering electricity, protecting the environment, and providing excellent service to nearly 860,000 customers. OG&E has 7,081 MW of electric generation capacity fueled by low-sulfur coal, natural gas, wind, and solar. OG&E employees live, work, and volunteer in the communities we serve. For more information about OG&E, visit us at http://www.oge.com or follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ogepower and Twitter: @OGandE. 

About Sutton Avian Research Center

The Sutton Avian Research Center is a non-profit organization in Bartlesville, OK that brought bald eagle eggs from Florida, incubated, hatched, raised and released eagles from 1985–1992. There were no known bald eagle nests in Oklahoma when the program started, and the goal was to have at least 10 nesting pairs in the state. The goal of ten nests was reached in 1993, and the numbers have been going up since. The southern bald eagle was de-listed in 2007, and is no longer considered an endangered species. Eagles are still protected through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act as well as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The Sutton Center continues to monitor the Oklahoma bald eagle population through our network of volunteers.