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July 10, 2006
2006 BALD EAGLE REPRODUCTION WILDLY SUCCESSFUL
More than 200 eaglets fledged from 110 nests statewide
COLUMBUS, OH - For the first time in modern memory, Ohio’s bald eagles produced more than 200 eaglets. Also for the third year in a row, bald eagles established more than 100 nests across the state, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
The 150 nests recorded this year in Ohio mark the 18th consecutive year that the state’s breeding bald eagle population increased. Of those 150 nests, 110 were successful in producing young eagles. Current reports from wildlife biologists and volunteer observers indicate that 205 eaglets have fledged from nests in 41 Ohio counties.
“These are certainly great times for the bald eagle in Ohio. A big thank you goes out to all the landowners, eagle nest volunteers and conservationists who have played a major role in the recovery of our national symbol,” said Steven A. Gray, chief of the Division of Wildlife.
Last year, Ohio marked 125 nests, with 85 of those nests producing 136 eaglets. This year, 30 new nests have been identified in 18 counties, with Cuyahoga County recording its first nest in modern times.
Since 1979 - when only four bald eagle pairs were found in the state - the Division of Wildlife has helped reestablish Ohio’s eagle population through habitat development and protection, fostering of young eagles, and extensive observation of eagle nesting behavior.
Most eagle nests in Ohio are located along the shores of Lake Erie, but now some are well inland, including nests in Delaware, Hancock, Mercer, and Wyandot counties. Counties with new nests in 2006 were Ottawa (5), Delaware (3), Licking (3), Richland (3), Muskingum (2), Trumbull (2), Ashtabula (1), Coshocton (1), Cuyahoga (1), Hancock (1), Holmes (1), Knox (1), Lake (1), Mercer (1), Sandusky (1), Stark (1), Wayne (1), and Wyandot (1). A majority of the nests occur on private land.
An average eagle nest ranges from 3 to 5- feet in width and 3 to 6 feet in depth. The nests are usually built high in a tall tree. Both male and female eagles share in the incubation and feeding of the young, which begin to leave the nest at about 12 weeks of age. An adult bald eagle has snow-white head and tail feathers. Its body color is very dark brown, almost black. Yellow eyes, beak, and feet accent the bird's appearance. Young eagles do not achieve this appearance until the age of 5 or 6 years. Until that time, they are uniformly dark brown from head to tail feather. Their undersides are mottled white with buff and cream blotches.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife’s work with bald eagles is funded through the sale of the bald eagle license plate. Proceeds from the sale of this plate are devoted to acquisition of habitat, management, and study of the bald eagle. To purchase the bald eagle license plate, contact your local deputy registrar or call the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles at 1-888-PLATES3.
Funding is provided, in part, through matching funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service state wildlife grants program, to benefit species of greatest conservation need. Additional funding for bald eagle restoration is derived from contributions to the Wildlife Diversity and Endangered Species Fund through a check-off on the Ohio state income tax form.
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