Preliminary census work completed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission documents at least 75 known bald eagle nests in the Commonwealth. That compares with preliminary count of 68 in 2003; 63 in 2002; 55 in 2001; and 48 in 2000.

As recently as three decades ago, bald eagle nesting was limited to a couple of nests in the Pymatuning region of Crawford County.

DDT - as pesticide that was widely used until it was banned in 1972 - nearly wiped out bald eagles, as well as ospreys, peregrine falcons and other bird species, in the 1950s and '60s. Reintroduction efforts involving the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Canadian provinces and state fish and wildlife agencies, including the Game Commission, spurred the bald eagle's recovery after DDT was banned.

Today, the bald eagle is listed nationally as a threatened species and in Pennsylvania as an endangered species.

New eagle nests have been found in Armstrong, Berks, Centre, Erie, Lycoming and McKean counties. Other counties where eagles have established known nests include: Bradford, Butler, Cameron, Carbon, Chester, Dauphin, Forest, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Mercer, Monroe, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Tioga, Venango, Warren, Wayne, Westmoreland and York.

Today, the Chesapeake Bay has more than 600 nesting pairs; the lower 48, more than 6,000 nesting pairs.

NewsClip: A Come Back Worth Celebrating

7/5/2004