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Eagles Continue To Thrive |
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Thursday, 30 July 2009 |
By ANGELA WEAVER
Staff Writer
CELINA — Ohio’s bald eagle population has grown, with more than half of the nests in the state recording eaglets, including a nest at a local wildlife area.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife biologists counted 215 bald eagle nests in the state. The numbers mark the 22nd year the population has increased in Ohio, according to an ODNR news release.
Of the 215 nests, 113 produced eaglets. That equates to approximately 197 eaglets in 52 Ohio counties.
The bald eagle nest at Mercer Wildlife Area in Celina was one of the state nests that produced eaglets.
“We had two pairs that nested on Grand Lake St. Marys,” Mercer County Wildlife Officer Ryan Garrison said. “They produced a total of five eaglets. All five of them have fledged.”
According to the release, last year Ohio had 184 nests, with 119 of the nests producing an estimated 222 eaglets, although the determination of the number of eaglets in 16 nests could not be made. This year, 33 new nests have been identified, according to the release.
This is the third year since the bird was removed from the federal endangered species list. In 1979, only four bald eagle pairs were found in Ohio. Wildlife Area Coordinator Sean Finke said the Mercer Wildlife Area nest produced triplets last year.
“We had six eaglets last year between the two pairs,” he said. “The Mercer nest blew out of the tree last year, and there is a new nest — it’s still at the refuge but in a different location.”
Finke said the eagles have been in the area since 1998.
“They showed up on their own,” he said. “This is our third batch in that nest.”
Finke said when the eagles first showed up in the area, officials did observation and banding.
“In the spring we try to get an idea of when they start incubating,” he said. “It gives us an idea of when they’ll hatch and when they’re going to fly.”
Finke said the Prairie Creek nest, as officials call it, is located on the refuge north of the Aquaview subdivision.
“The refuge is along State Route 127,” he said, noting the site has observation areas, but most of the grounds is considered a wildlife refuge.
Mercer Wildlife Refuge also is home to various waterfowl, blue heron, deer, birds, ospreys, black-crowned night herons and a white pelican.
“The white pelican is rare,” Finke said. “It’s been here about two years.”
Statewide, nests are located along shores of Lake Erie, as well as inland in Delaware, Hancock, and Wyandot counties. The counties with new nests this year were Butler, Franklin, Hamilton, Logan, Medina, Montgomery, Paulding Pike and Scioto counties. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 01 September 2009 )
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