OAK HARBOR, OH -- The nation's symbol continues to fly high above the Buckeye state and state wildlife biologists are asking Ohio residents to report bald eagle nesting activity they may observe in their communities.
Ohios resident bald eagles are busy this time of the year as they carry out nest maintenance chores in preparation for next spring's nesting season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
Landowners, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts can be a tremendous help by reporting anything that looks like a new nest, or any nest building activity, said Mark Shieldcastle, wildlife biologist with ODNRs Crane Creek Wildlife Research Station in Ottawa County. Reports from the general public on eagle nest building activities enable us to more closely monitor the population of this state endangered bird.
Ohios nesting bald eagle population has gone from only four active nesting pairs along southwestern Lake Erie in 1979 to a modern record 74 nesting pairs in 25 counties recorded during the 2001 nesting season. A record 106 young fledged Ohio nests this year.
Each fall, adult eagle pairs perform routine repairs by adding sticks, twigs, and grasses to established nests. Some eagles may rebuild nests that were destroyed due to storms, while others may be reestablishing their nests at new locations. Young eagles reaching maturity are also building new nests, as they scout new breeding territories for their first nesting season.
Successful nesting seasons with record numbers of eaglets raised in Ohio nests over the past decade are producing a snowball effect. Increasing numbers of new nests are popping up each year as the young from each hatch reaches breeding maturity at 3 to 4 years of age.
We never know where a new nest will show up. These young birds establish nesting territories across the state, showing no preference over public wildlife areas to private lands, Shieldcastle said. Woodlots and remote areas along watersheds are generally the most preferred nesting habitat for eagles. Its very possible there are nests in remote areas that no one has yet discovered.
Bald eagles build their nest high in large trees, usually near a body of water. A typical nest averages 4 feet in diameter, is 2 to 4 feet thick, and can weigh as much as a ton.
The largest eagle nest ever recorded was the Great Nest at Vermilion, Ohio. It measured 12 feet high and 8 feet wide, and weighed nearly two tons. Different eagle pairs used this nest for more than 35 years until it was destroyed after falling 80 feet to the ground during a storm in March 1925.
Active nets are currently recorded in the following Ohio counties: Coshocton (1), Delaware (1), Erie (7), Geauga (2), Guernsey (1), Harrison (1), Henry (1), Huron (2), Knox (2), Licking (1), Lorain (2), Lucas (5), Mahoning (2), Marion (1), Mercer (1), Noble (1), Ottawa (11), Portage (3), Ross (1), Sandusky (10), Seneca (4), Summit (1), Trumbull (5), Wayne (1), Wood (2), and Wyandot (5).
Anyone who observes bald eagles actively building a nest, or discovers a large nest that they think may be an eagle's nest, should contact an ODNR Division of Wildlife district office or county wildlife officer. Anyone who discovers a nest should not approach the area. Human disturbance to bald eagles may prompt an eagle pair to abandon a nest. Such human disturbances also carry heavy state and federal penalties.
The state's bald eagle management program is funded by the sale of the Ohio Bald Eagle License Plate and contributions to the state income tax checkoff program for Wildlife Diversity and Endangered Species.