Record Number Of Bald Eagles Reported In Pa.

By JUSTIN HEINZE (Patch Staff)

A record number of bald-eagle nests have been reported in Pennsylvania, according to the Game Commission.

An all-time high of 277 nests were documented during the mid-year survey, with nesting in 58 of the state’s 67 counties.

In 2014, 254 nests were reported, which was also a record.

Although not listed as at risk on the national level, the bald eagle has a “threatened” status in Pennsylvania, making these record numbers all the more important.

“Like many Pennsylvanians, I remember a time when bald eagles were absent just about everywhere in the state, and it truly is astonishing how things have turned around,” said R. Matthew Hough, the Game Commission Executive Director, on the Commission’s site.

“Through our reintroduction program, our protection of eagles and effective management, we’ve gone from three nests statewide to what soon could be 300, all within the span of my career with the Game Commission. “It’s an accomplishment of which all Pennsylvanians can be proud.”

The bald eagle is protected federally by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Protection Treaty Act.

Of the new nests, officials believe that 20 of them new.

For the past two years, the Game Commission has been operating an Eagle Cam which shows livestreamed video from a bald-eagle nest.

Over 1.4 million people viewed the footage, demonstrating the mass appeal that bald eagles have to the public.

“Without people who care, we wouldn’t have nearly the number of bald eagles we have in Pennsylvania today, and we probably wouldn’t have them at all,” Hough said.

“When bald-eagles were in decline, it was people who led the way for their recovery. We joined to clean up the environment, entrusted wildlife agencies like the Game Commission to jumpstart restoration of eagle populations, and placed priority on protecting eagles to give them a chance to take hold.”

The chicks in the nest grew to maturity, and the cam was shut off on July 3 as the birds began to leave the nest.

Across the state, flocks of eagles unprecedented in the 21st century were doing the same.

Game Commission officials urge all bald eagle nest sightings be reported to pgccomments@pa.gov. Individuals are asked to use the words “Eagle Nest Information” in the subject field.

Photo courtesy the Pennsylvania Game Commission.