Eagles Everywhere

Bald Eagle sightings are certainly getting more common as nesting pairs have risen in New Jersey, and have been for decades:

  • Between 1990-1993 NJ averaged 5 nesting pairs that produced on average 5.5 eaglets. 
  • Between 2000-2003 it was 28 nesting pairs producing ~35 eaglets.
  • Between 2010-2013 it was up to ~104 nesting pairs producing  ~62 eaglets.
  • I don't have 2023 data, but between 2020-2022 they averaged ~231 nesting pairs raising ~313 eaglets.

Obviously this will eventually level off, but this suggests it's probably twice as easy to encounter a Bald Eagle today than it was even 10 years ago. The story of the Bald Eagle recovery has been told many times, and is mostly due to the things we've stopped doing (at least legally):

  • Hunting them.
  • Encroaching on their last habitats.
  • And maybe most importantly, using the DDT insecticide.

While some reintroductions and breeding programs have no doubt helped speed things along, I can't believe they would have worked without the things we stopped doing. This suggests something rather optimistic, that nature can often heal if/when we stop actively harming it. FWIW Golden Eagles are recipients of similar protection.

May 10, 2023 at Delaware Raritan Canal
Photo 282316214, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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