Game Commission Photo

The bald eagle, as symbolic of American freedom as the Fourth of July and Old Glory itself, is nesting in more than 100 locations across the Commonwealth for the first time in more than a century, the Game Commission announced this week.

The Game Commission started Pennsylvania's bald eagle reintroduction program in 1983, when three nesting pairs remained in the Commonwealth. The agency sent employees to Saskatchewan to obtain 12 eaglets from wilderness nests in the first year.

With financial assistance from the Richard King Mellon Foundation of Pittsburgh and the federal Endangered Species Fund, the project spurred the release of 88 Canadian bald eagles into the wilds of Pennsylvania at Haldeman Island in Dauphin County and Shohola Falls in Pike County.

"Pennsylvanians have every right to be excited and proud about the bald eagle's comeback, because their increasing presence in the Commonwealth symbolizes that wildlife conservation is working here and that Pennsylvanians care," noted Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe. "We have reason to believe this remarkable story will continue to get better in subsequent years, because our state still has plenty of unoccupied bald eagle habitat.

"It's entirely appropriate that we celebrate the bald eagle's historic milestone of more than 100 nests in Pennsylvania as we prepare to commemorate our country's birthday. America will be 230 years old on the Fourth of July, and the bald eagle has symbolized America for most of that time, as per our forefathers' wishes. Bald eagles imbue that rugged spiritedness that characterizes our United States and Keystone State."

The Game Commission, partnering with other states and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, helped to bring bald eagles back from the brink of extinction with reintroductions throughout the Northeast in the 1980s.

The effort dovetailed with important gains made in improving water quality, which led to increases in the quality and quantity of freshwater fish, a staple in the eagle's diet. Pennsylvania's eagle resurgence also was likely stimulated by young eagles dispersing from the Chesapeake Bay, which now has more than 600 nesting pairs, and neighboring states that also reintroduced eagles.

Bald eagles are nesting in at least 31 of the state's 67 counties, according to preliminary census tabulations. There are at least 106 active nesting pairs (99 confirmed in 2005), and an additional 20 pairs appear to have established territories, which typically is a prerequisite task to nest-building. New nests have been confirmed in Bucks, Columbia, Fulton and Sullivan counties. Field staff also is looking into reports of new nests in Adams, Lawrence, Luzerne, Mercer, Montour and Wayne counties.

"I fully expect to add more eagle nests to our preliminary total, because there are plenty of unanswered questions about a substantial number of nests," said Doug Gross, Game Commission ornithologist. "Agency Wildlife Conservation Officers are following up reports from birders, many participating in the 2nd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas, about eagle nests, but their ability to confirm eagle nesting is compromised by the camouflage of leaf-out and the rugged, hard-to-reach areas nesting eagles use."

Following is a county-by-county breakdown of active nests - nests that the Game Commission is aware of and the adult eagles are incubating eggs or brooding young - along with the number of known active nests from 2005: Crawford, 14 (14 in 2005); Pike, 13 (12); Lancaster, 10 (9); Warren, 7 (5); York, 6 (6); Mercer, 5 (5); Chester, 4 (4); Tioga, 4 (3); Venango, 4 (4); Berks, 3 (3); Dauphin, 3 (2); Erie, 3 (3); Huntingdon, 3 (2); Lycoming, 3 (3); Wayne, 3 (3); Armstrong, 2 (2); Butler, 2 (1); Forest, 2 (3); McKean, 2 (1); Northumberland, 2 (2); Bradford, 1 (1); Bucks, 1 (0); Cameron, 1 (1); Centre, 1 (1); Columbia, 1 (1); Fulton, 1 (1); Luzerne, 1 (2); Montgomery, 1 (1); Northampton, 1 (1); Sullivan, 1 (1); and Westmoreland, 1 (1). Also, in 2005, Monroe had one active nest, but no active nests were identified this year.

The bald eagle is listed as a "threatened species" by the federal government and Pennsylvania. Bald eagles were upgraded from "endangered" to "threatened" nationally in 1995; the Board of Game Commissioners upgraded them on October 4, 2005. The USFWS recently closed a public comment period to remove the bald eagle from federal threatened species list. However, bald eagles still would be protected by the Bald Eagle Protection Act and other federal and state laws, even if it is delisted.

"The best available scientific and commercial data available indicates that the bald eagle has recovered," the USFWS reported in the February 16 edition of the Federal Register. "The bald eagle population in the lower 48 States has increased from approximately 487 active nests in 1963, to an estimated minimum 7,066 breeding pairs today."

The return of the bald eagle in both Pennsylvania and the contiguous United States is directly related to reintroductions and nest site protection. But, the species future hinged on the banning of DDT and other organochlorine pesticides.

Eagles, as well ospreys, peregrine falcons and a multitude of songbirds, were rendered reproductively incapable by DDT and the like, because the birds were bio-accumulating the contaminants the pesticides contained through prey consumption. DDT - banned nationally in 1972 - rendered the shells of birds' eggs so brittle, they broke when sat upon.

Rachel Carson wrote in Silent Spring, "The history of life on earth has been a history of interaction between living things and their surroundings." She referred to the interdependencies -that often aren't easy to identify or interpret - of organisms on each other and the environment.

When America was sprayed and dusted repeatedly and for decades with DDT, the environment was slowly loaded with toxins that eventually devastated the very existence of eagles and many other creatures that had thrived for centuries. Without emergency and sustained special assistance from wildlife conservation agencies, bald eagles would have perished.

"Given their plight, magnificent appearance and historical significance, bald eagles have certainly captured the hearts and imaginations of Pennsylvanians," Gross noted. "Some observers have adopted nests for watching, keeping an eye on the eagles and for any threats to the nest. We frequently receive phone calls and emails from excited individuals who just saw their first bald eagle in the wild. We also hear from anglers, canoeists and birders who are taking the time to report what they believe is a new bald eagle nest or active nesting pair. We sincerely appreciate this assistance. After all, we cannot provide eagles with the special attention they sometimes require if we don't know where their nest is located."

Gross noted that eagles still are not nesting on some of their more historic nesting grounds, such as Presque Isle and the Susquehanna River's West Branch, but they surely have experienced a resurgence that has filled a long, noticeable void in Pennsylvania's wildlife community. If their progress continues, bald eagles one day likely will inhabit the quieter sections of every major waterway and impoundment in the Commonwealth.

"Bald eagles are moving into a lot of new places, particularly along the North Branch of the Susquehanna River," explained Gross. "I believe we're missing some established nests there and at remote municipal reservoirs, along steep mountainsides and river banks and on islands elsewhere in the state. In fact, I suspect we're missing one on a Susquehanna River island near Harrisburg."

Last year, 118 eaglets were fledged from 99 Pennsylvania active nests. The state's eagle nests are expected to fledge just as many or more in 2006. This trend illustrates the bald eagle is back in the Commonwealth and their future looks brighter than it has for many decades.

The state's largest concentrations of bald eagles are found in three geographic areas: the expansive wetlands of Crawford, Mercer and Erie counties; along the lower Susquehanna River in Chester, Lancaster and York counties; and the Poconos and Upper Delaware River region. For years, Crawford County - particularly the Pymatuning region - had represented the state's last stand for and largest concentration of bald eagles. This year, Crawford has at least 14 active nests (14 in 2005); lower Susquehanna River, 20 (16). In the Poconos, there are 21 nests (15).

To commemorate Pennsylvania's 100-nest milestone in bald eagle conservation, the Game Commission currently is developing a special-edition embroidered wildlife patch. Depicting a bald eagle with two eaglets and designed by award-winning artist Bob Sopchick, the patch is six inches in size and will sell for $20. There will be a one-time production run of 3,000 patches.

Each year, about 20 percent of Pennsylvania's eagle nests fail for reasons such as disturbances, predators and harsh weather. This year was no exception, as at least four nests have fallen down, three with fatal consequences to the eaglets.

To learn more, visit the Bald Eagle webpage.

7/2/2006