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What is a Communal Roost Bald Eagle Management Plan?

Bald eagle communal night roosts are important winter habitat. Eagles use night roosts as protection from inclement weather and temperature extremes. Night roosts may also serve important social functions. Winter night roosts are generally associated with large, salmon-bearing rivers, although there are some associated with coastal foraging areas. Night roosts are usually on forested slopes, up to 5 miles from the foraging areas. The combination of topography and trees provides the microclimate that is important to roosting eagles. For the purpose of inclusion in the WDFW database of protected sites, a roost is defined as a tree or a group of trees in which at least 3 eagles roost for at least 2 nights and during more than one year. The definition refers to at least 3 eagles to differentiate the communal roost from a perch used by a territorial pair of eagles. Site-specific Bald Eagle Management Plans are required for activities within ¼ mile of communal night roosts. Activities within ¼ mile of eagle roosts are restricted in the winter, generally from Nov 1 to Feb 15, although this may be modified (shortened) for roosts with known activity periods that do not extend through the entire winter season. Leave tree buffers are also required, although the buffer distance varies with the conditions of the site. Timber harvest within communal night roosts is not permitted.