When people think of bald eagles, they might think of Alaska, soaring out over some river or prairie out west. But for those who frequent the rivers or gorges of north or south Georgia, a bald eagle might be a familiar site. Their range actually extends across the entire country, most of Canada that is not frozen tundra and significantly into Mexico.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) finished its nesting season survey recently, nesting was still strong but the success rate has dipped in north Georgia. Numbers in the northern part of the state declined this year compared to long-term averages. High rainfall from January through March was the likely contributor to lower nest productivity.
“Populations of many wildlife species exhibit fluctuations in reproductive success from year to year, sometimes wildly so, and these fluctuations are often related to bad timing of unusually cold or rainy spells,” said Bob Sargent, program manager with the DNR Wildlife Conservation Section. “By comparison, it is not a rare occurrence for the failure rate of songbird nests in some localities to exceed 50 percent due to weather factors. The overall productivity trend for bald eagles nests in Georgia continues to look healthy.”
Checking by helicopter in the first few months of the year, Sargent counted 117 bald eagle nest in three regions of the state: the six coastal counties; a section of east Georgia bounded roughly by interstates 16 and 85 and the South Carolina line; and the counties north of Atlanta. Seven additional nests monitored by volunteers or DNR staff in other areas were also included in this year’s survey.
Bald eagles remain a state and federally protected species but their sustained recovery has allowed Sargent to cut back on flying across the entire state each to focusing on the coastal counties annually – which have the most nests and potential development impact issues – and then alternating years on checking other parts of the state.
Sargent is particularly appreciative of the DNR pilots who help shuttle him around the state, finding some 170 nests total. About half of those in coastal counties.
Besides flying the aircraft, Sargent noted that the pilots “sometimes find nests before I do, are as fascinated by the big birds as I am and are especially conscientious about keeping a safe distance from the nests – for the sake of the eagles – while giving me the best possible look at the contents.”
The bald eagle recovery is one of the biggest successes for the Endangered Species Act. Several factors have contributed to the great recovery, including a ban on DDT use in 1972, habitat improvements after the Clean Water and Clean Air acts, increased public awareness and release programs.
The public is encouraged to report eagle nests via georgiawildlife.com/bald-eagle, (478) 994-1438 or bob.sargent@dnr.ga.gov
