Just in time for the Fourth of July, the Game Commission reports that our national bird is doing quite well in Pennsylvania.
There are now 203 nesting pairs in the state including, for the first time, a successful nest in Allegheny County. That eaglet is predicted to fledge this weekend from his home near Dashields Dam.
This is great news since the time 30 years ago when eagles were endangered due to DDT.
If you want to see eagles today you have a lot more places to choose from. You can always see them at Pymantuning and now they breed along the Allegheny and Clarion Rivers. (Here’s a county-by-county nesting map.)
Take a lawn chair or a kayak, maybe do some fishing to pass the time. If you’re in good eagle habitat, both you and the eagle will catch a fish.
Happy Fourth!
(photo by Kim Steininger)
That is a beautiful pic. Thanks Kim. Happy to hear eagles are doing well in Pa. I watch alot of sites. The Hornby nest is doing well so far with 2. Yesterday both parents & both eaglets in same nest together. Crowded!! The 3 in Iowa are fledging now but they keep returning to the branching tree so they are still showing up for the watchers. I use an eagle photo for my wallpaper. I see a commercial now (can’t remember product) that is using a falcon. Hopefully more & more people are becoming aware of wildlife & how important it is for us to be wary of the air & land we share. Happy 4th.
I never look for eagles, I just see them while I’m doing other things. Whenever we see a bald eagle my Dad goes “there’s another one”. It’s gotten to the point that he barely deigns to look up for a bald eagle.
Faith, it’s a commercial for State Farm Insurance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7ZpWFTUz34
We saw a pair above the Pine Creek bike trail near Cedar Run. Later, one flew over us near Slate Run. Last year we saw a pair (someone said there was also a fledgeling), above the trail near Tiadaghton south of Wellsboro.
The nesting pair at Crooked Creek were successful again this year. I walked out the trail to be on eye level with their nest and even tho’ there was so much “leaf-out” in trees around the nest and in front of me I could see on top of the huge white pine the nest is in an adult perched tippy-top like a Christmas tree angel. To his left in the other pine tree beside the nesting tree was 1 immature eagle on a branch hanging out over the water screaming for food or just to be heard, who knows for certain and on the other side of the same tree obscured just a little and on a branch lower than the other was a 2nd. I reported them to the Park staff and the Game Commission (Doug Gross). Such majestic birds! Even if their population is up it is still awesome to me to see them in flight or fishing or just perched on a tree.