Bald eagles found in 50 counties
HARRISBURG — The bald eagle's amazing recovery from the brink of extinction continues at a heartwarming pace as America prepares to celebrate the birth of its independence.
So far this year, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reports that 192 bald eagle nests — in 50 counties — have been recorded in Pennsylvania. As recently as 1983, only three Crawford County nests remained in the state.
While the founding fathers were deliberating in the 1780s, what would become the Lower 48 states was believed to be home to as many as 100,000 nesting pairs of bald eagles.
By the 1960s, that number would drop to fewer than 500 pairs. Today, eagle nesting pairs are believed to number about 10,000.
"As wildlife managers, we are proud of that accomplishment," explained Game Commission executive director Carl G. Roe. "It is the product of sound science, interstate and international cooperation, and commitment to the resource.
"As bald eagles continue to move closer and closer to this state's urban settings, more and more Pennsylvanians will get to appreciate the progress that has been made with this symbolic species," he added.
It is important to remember, though, that the relatively recent appearance of bald eagles around Philadelphia, and now Pittsburgh, is related to what's been happening in the more remote areas of the state, where eagles have been moving in at a phenomenal pace.
It doesn't hurt that both cities are strategically located along major river systems with good fisheries.
Counties supporting the largest numbers of known nesting pairs are: Crawford, 22; Lancaster, 16; Pike, 16; Mercer, 11; and York 11.
Reporting on eagle nests is anything but an exact science. In 2009, the June nest count was at least 170. That number increased by four until year's end. In 2008, the June estimate was 140 known nests and the final nest count was 156. The agency learns of new nests with increasing regularity from the public. Some of the latest reported were found by birders walking trails in off-road locations.
Residents aware of a bald eagle nest — they are among the largest nests of all birds — should consider reporting it to the Game Commission. The easiest way to contact the agency is through: pgccomments@state.pa.us. Use the words "Eagle Nest Information" in the subject field.
Counties where nests have not yet been reported this year are: Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Cameron, Fulton, Franklin, Greene, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Lehigh, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Susquehanna, Union and Washington.
Although Pennsylvania's bald eagle nesting population has been increasing, it hasn't been without some bumps along the way. More nests means more eaglets are usually involved in nest collapses caused by spring snowfall and strong winds, or they find themselves on the forest floor and at the mercy of predators.
In Mercer County, Wildlife Conservation Officer Don Chaybin was led by David Wade of Jamestown to a toppled eagle nest in Greene Township, where the officer found two eaglets, one dead, the other badly injured. Their nest tree had been uprooted by high winds during a Memorial Day thunderstorm.
"The nestlings were almost ready to fledge and they must have ridden the nest to the ground," Chaybin explained. "Unfortunately, one was killed outright and the surviving eagle was severely injured. ... In spite of everyone's efforts, the young eagle died a week later of unknown causes."
Even with the bald eagle population's impressive response to improving environmental conditions in Pennsylvania and America, the species still has plenty of quality open range to occupy before it will be proposed for delisting in Pennsylvania. That the species is building nests in the shadows of the Pennsylvania's largest cities is gratifying.
"There is a considerable amount of unoccupied or sparsely used territory in Pennsylvania for nesting eagles," said Doug Gross, a Game Commission endangered birds biologist.
"The best river destinations include the Susquehanna River's West Branch, and the Beaver, Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers. Our Lake Erie shoreline also has plenty to offer, as do many unoccupied lakes and impoundments found across the state."
One of the eight nests that did not produce eggs this spring was the nest in Pittsburgh. But, Gross suggested, Allegheny Countians shouldn't fret just yet.
"When a pair of eagles bonds and builds a nest in the spring, if the nest doesn't produce young the first year, there's a stronger chance that it will the next year," Gross emphasized. "If eagles can nest successfully in Philadelphia, there's no reason to doubt the tenacity and viability of the Pittsburgh pair. The future looks bright for the Steel City's nest."
