Eagles, Eagles Everywhere
Doug Gross, Pennsylvania Game Commission ornithologist, said the stories and reports he receives about eagle's nests never ceases to amaze him. Yet, his most memorable experience was when he and his wife participated in a large group canoe trip a few years ago.
"I had suspected there could be an undiscovered eagle nest on a particular stretch of a local river based on reports of eagles being seen in the area, as well as my own observations," Gross said. "As we traveled down the river from one town to another, I told the tour guides that I had two islands and some isolated riverbanks in mind for the search, and would appreciate any hints or tips they could offer without alerting the 80 other canoes along for the trip.
"One of the tour leaders spotted something big in a tree on a large island. We quietly followed, and as I turned our canoe toward the target, I saw a stick nest the size of a Volkswagen in a large sycamore tree. I whispered, 'That's an eagle nest, let's get out of here.' We slipped off with the memory of that location. A friend returned later and took a picture of a young eaglet out of the nest nearby and the mystery of a missing nest was found with none of the other 80 boats knowing what was found on the trip."
Gross also noted that many other Game Commission employees share his enthusiasm for bald eagles, including Brenda Peebles, who coordinates bald eagle nest monitoring in the agency's Northwest Region. However, both Gross and Peebles rely on volunteers and Game Commission field personnel for the leads they need to investigate new eagle nests.
"A Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer in western Pennsylvania was so excited about the eagles fledging their young from a nest in his district that he called me at home after hours," Gross said. "He had to tell somebody that the eagles were successful and, since the Region Office was closed that night, he decided to call me."
In late June, Tioga County WCO Robert F. Minnich reported the number of bald eagle nests in his district has grown since he arrived in the district in 1999.
"I started with one nest and now am monitoring three nests in the area," WCO Minnich said. "This year the third nest was found and is being monitored. Two nests have been successful and the third was abandoned when a March ice storm brought branches down on the nest and incubating eagle. The eagles have remained in the area, but not incubating. The other two nests both have had two young hatch."
In late June, Juniata County WCO Daniel Clark confirmed the location of one pair of nesting bald eagles within the county and is watching a possible second site.
"This has been made possible through assistance and involvement of local bird watchers within the county," WCO Clark said. "I've been seeing mature bald eagles flying the Juniata River between Mifflintown and the Lewistown narrows. No nesting sites for these birds have been located."
In June, Philadelphia/Delaware County WCO Jerry Czech has been monitoring two bald eagle nests with the help of a Deputy WCO and some volunteer birders.
"The Philadelphia Eagles start football training camp soon, and so too are the eaglets in these nests," WCO Czech said. "They are stretching their wings and jumping up on the edge of the nest, training for their first flights. Looks like the three eaglets will be ready to fledge and look for their own nesting sites soon."
Cameron County WCO Wayne Hunt, in May, sighted a pair of mature bald eagles in a Sycamore tree along the Driftwood Branch of the Sinnemahoning Creek. "The presence of these national birds could very well mean another nesting pair in the county," he said.
In May, Westmoreland County WCO Seth Mesoras reported that bald eagles previously seen nesting near Beaver Run Reservoir appear to have abandoned their nest. "I have observed both nests several times and have not noticed any eagle activity," he said. "Residents of northern Westmoreland County continue to report sightings, which mean that eagles still are in the area somewhere."
In May, Chester County WCO Keith Mullin reports that the bald eagle nest in his district partially collapsed last year after several severe thunderstorms, and it was not known if the birds would return to the nest or build a new nest at another location. "I'm happy to report that not only have the adult eagles returned, but they have one eaglet," he said. "Also, I can report a hatch at another nest, but cannot confirm the number of chicks there, although I believe there are two."
In May, Potter/Tioga Counties LMGS Denise H. Mitcheltree observed two mature bald eagles as they perched in trees near the Long Toe Road in Potter County. "Even from a distance, the size of these birds was quite impressive as the sun glinted off of their white feathered heads," she said.
Elk County WCO Dick Bodenhorn reports that once again this year there are at least two active eagle nests, with young eaglets, along the Clarion River in Elk County. "It is suspected there are other active nests that haven't been found yet," he said. "Anyone finding an eagle's nest is encouraged to call and report the location."
In early May, Bucks County WCO John Papson reports that the eagles have again successfully hatched two eaglets.
Unfortunately, not every sighting report is a positive one. In some cases, Gross said that the Game Commission receives reports of injured or dead bald eagles.
In May, Mercer County WCO Donald G. Chaybin received a report from kayakers who found a mature bald eagle carcass floating in Lake Wilhelm. "It was caught up in some limbs and appeared to have been there awhile," he said. "They freed it from the snag, but were unable to recover the rank carcass and upon returning home contacted the Northwest Region Office. The following morning, I spent several hours canoeing that area of the lake on SGL 270, but was unsuccessful in locating the eagle. Unfortunately, we will never know the cause of death of this bird. There was an active eagle's nest within a half mile of the area where they reported discovering the dead eagle."
In June, Snyder County WCO Harold J. Malehorn said that a severely injured, immature bald eagle was found and it had to be euthanized. "A local resident found the injured eagle along the side of Spruce Hollow Road in Franklin Township," he said. "The leg was broken and had nearly fallen off. After consulting with Dr. Walter Cottrell, Game Commission wildlife veterinarian, it was decided that the most humane course of action was to euthanize it. A necropsy was conducted, but the cause of the injury was inconclusive."
Nick Antolik, of Girard, Erie County, discovered a dead eagle along the banks of the creek, and contacted the Game Commission.
"I crossed the creek to see if I could determine what caused this bird's demise," Antolik said. "I decided to bring him back across the creek and secure him high up a beech tree, so he would not be further disturbed or removed by scavengers. As I did this, immature eagles watched the whole time.
"After speaking with the Game Commission, I was asked to bring the bird out, which I willingly did, and delivered it to Edinboro Outdoors, where it was picked up and sent down state for a necropsy."
In Mercer County, as Deputy WCO John McCurdy visited the Conneaut Lake Fire Hall, he looked out the large windows overlooking Conneaut Lake and saw a bald eagle dive toward the water and it grabbed a large fish. After catching the fish, the eagle turned and headed south toward power lines. The eagle's wing's spanned between two electrical lines and it was electrocuted and immediately spiraled into the marsh right next to Route 322. "As soon as I saw this, I went down and retrieved the eagle and brought it back to the PA Game Commission Northwest Region Office," he said.
In each of these cases, eagles carcasses that were recovered were shipped by the Game Commission to the National Eagle Repository at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' Rocky Mountain Arsenal northeast of Denver, Colorado.
"It is illegal for any individual to possess a bald or golden eagle, including its parts, such as feathers or talons," said Rich Palmer, director of the Game Commission's Bureau of Wildlife Protection. "But the Repository provides a central location for distributing bald and golden eagles that are found dead, and their parts, to qualified Native Americans for use in religious Native American ceremonies.
"The distribution of bald and golden eagles, and their parts to Native Americans is authorized by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act."
"I had suspected there could be an undiscovered eagle nest on a particular stretch of a local river based on reports of eagles being seen in the area, as well as my own observations," Gross said. "As we traveled down the river from one town to another, I told the tour guides that I had two islands and some isolated riverbanks in mind for the search, and would appreciate any hints or tips they could offer without alerting the 80 other canoes along for the trip.
"One of the tour leaders spotted something big in a tree on a large island. We quietly followed, and as I turned our canoe toward the target, I saw a stick nest the size of a Volkswagen in a large sycamore tree. I whispered, 'That's an eagle nest, let's get out of here.' We slipped off with the memory of that location. A friend returned later and took a picture of a young eaglet out of the nest nearby and the mystery of a missing nest was found with none of the other 80 boats knowing what was found on the trip."
Gross also noted that many other Game Commission employees share his enthusiasm for bald eagles, including Brenda Peebles, who coordinates bald eagle nest monitoring in the agency's Northwest Region. However, both Gross and Peebles rely on volunteers and Game Commission field personnel for the leads they need to investigate new eagle nests.
"A Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer in western Pennsylvania was so excited about the eagles fledging their young from a nest in his district that he called me at home after hours," Gross said. "He had to tell somebody that the eagles were successful and, since the Region Office was closed that night, he decided to call me."
In late June, Tioga County WCO Robert F. Minnich reported the number of bald eagle nests in his district has grown since he arrived in the district in 1999.
"I started with one nest and now am monitoring three nests in the area," WCO Minnich said. "This year the third nest was found and is being monitored. Two nests have been successful and the third was abandoned when a March ice storm brought branches down on the nest and incubating eagle. The eagles have remained in the area, but not incubating. The other two nests both have had two young hatch."
In late June, Juniata County WCO Daniel Clark confirmed the location of one pair of nesting bald eagles within the county and is watching a possible second site.
"This has been made possible through assistance and involvement of local bird watchers within the county," WCO Clark said. "I've been seeing mature bald eagles flying the Juniata River between Mifflintown and the Lewistown narrows. No nesting sites for these birds have been located."
In June, Philadelphia/Delaware County WCO Jerry Czech has been monitoring two bald eagle nests with the help of a Deputy WCO and some volunteer birders.
"The Philadelphia Eagles start football training camp soon, and so too are the eaglets in these nests," WCO Czech said. "They are stretching their wings and jumping up on the edge of the nest, training for their first flights. Looks like the three eaglets will be ready to fledge and look for their own nesting sites soon."
Cameron County WCO Wayne Hunt, in May, sighted a pair of mature bald eagles in a Sycamore tree along the Driftwood Branch of the Sinnemahoning Creek. "The presence of these national birds could very well mean another nesting pair in the county," he said.
In May, Westmoreland County WCO Seth Mesoras reported that bald eagles previously seen nesting near Beaver Run Reservoir appear to have abandoned their nest. "I have observed both nests several times and have not noticed any eagle activity," he said. "Residents of northern Westmoreland County continue to report sightings, which mean that eagles still are in the area somewhere."
In May, Chester County WCO Keith Mullin reports that the bald eagle nest in his district partially collapsed last year after several severe thunderstorms, and it was not known if the birds would return to the nest or build a new nest at another location. "I'm happy to report that not only have the adult eagles returned, but they have one eaglet," he said. "Also, I can report a hatch at another nest, but cannot confirm the number of chicks there, although I believe there are two."
In May, Potter/Tioga Counties LMGS Denise H. Mitcheltree observed two mature bald eagles as they perched in trees near the Long Toe Road in Potter County. "Even from a distance, the size of these birds was quite impressive as the sun glinted off of their white feathered heads," she said.
Elk County WCO Dick Bodenhorn reports that once again this year there are at least two active eagle nests, with young eaglets, along the Clarion River in Elk County. "It is suspected there are other active nests that haven't been found yet," he said. "Anyone finding an eagle's nest is encouraged to call and report the location."
In early May, Bucks County WCO John Papson reports that the eagles have again successfully hatched two eaglets.
Unfortunately, not every sighting report is a positive one. In some cases, Gross said that the Game Commission receives reports of injured or dead bald eagles.
In May, Mercer County WCO Donald G. Chaybin received a report from kayakers who found a mature bald eagle carcass floating in Lake Wilhelm. "It was caught up in some limbs and appeared to have been there awhile," he said. "They freed it from the snag, but were unable to recover the rank carcass and upon returning home contacted the Northwest Region Office. The following morning, I spent several hours canoeing that area of the lake on SGL 270, but was unsuccessful in locating the eagle. Unfortunately, we will never know the cause of death of this bird. There was an active eagle's nest within a half mile of the area where they reported discovering the dead eagle."
In June, Snyder County WCO Harold J. Malehorn said that a severely injured, immature bald eagle was found and it had to be euthanized. "A local resident found the injured eagle along the side of Spruce Hollow Road in Franklin Township," he said. "The leg was broken and had nearly fallen off. After consulting with Dr. Walter Cottrell, Game Commission wildlife veterinarian, it was decided that the most humane course of action was to euthanize it. A necropsy was conducted, but the cause of the injury was inconclusive."
Nick Antolik, of Girard, Erie County, discovered a dead eagle along the banks of the creek, and contacted the Game Commission.
"I crossed the creek to see if I could determine what caused this bird's demise," Antolik said. "I decided to bring him back across the creek and secure him high up a beech tree, so he would not be further disturbed or removed by scavengers. As I did this, immature eagles watched the whole time.
"After speaking with the Game Commission, I was asked to bring the bird out, which I willingly did, and delivered it to Edinboro Outdoors, where it was picked up and sent down state for a necropsy."
In Mercer County, as Deputy WCO John McCurdy visited the Conneaut Lake Fire Hall, he looked out the large windows overlooking Conneaut Lake and saw a bald eagle dive toward the water and it grabbed a large fish. After catching the fish, the eagle turned and headed south toward power lines. The eagle's wing's spanned between two electrical lines and it was electrocuted and immediately spiraled into the marsh right next to Route 322. "As soon as I saw this, I went down and retrieved the eagle and brought it back to the PA Game Commission Northwest Region Office," he said.
In each of these cases, eagles carcasses that were recovered were shipped by the Game Commission to the National Eagle Repository at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' Rocky Mountain Arsenal northeast of Denver, Colorado.
"It is illegal for any individual to possess a bald or golden eagle, including its parts, such as feathers or talons," said Rich Palmer, director of the Game Commission's Bureau of Wildlife Protection. "But the Repository provides a central location for distributing bald and golden eagles that are found dead, and their parts, to qualified Native Americans for use in religious Native American ceremonies.
"The distribution of bald and golden eagles, and their parts to Native Americans is authorized by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act."
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