RSS Feed
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Delisting doesn't leave the Bald Eagle out in the cold
"The bald eagle is doing very well in North Carolina now" said David Allen, coastal wildlife diversity supervisor for the Commission. "We began re-introducing eagles into the state back in 1983, and from that time we have increased the number of eagle nesting territories from zero to about 110 in the state. All of these territories won't be active in any one given year," he noted, "but the population is increasing each year." After falling to an all-time low of 417 nesting pairs in 1963, the long-time American symbol rebounded. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) estimated 9,789 breeding pairs exist today in the lower 48 states. According to the USFWS, the 60-80 pairs of eagles that live in the Tar Heel state mean the bird remains a rare sight worthy of protection. Fortunately, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act continue to shield the birds on a federal level. On state law books, the bird is still listed as threatened.
Nevertheless, it is undeniable that significant progress has been made. Unlike four decades earlier, bald eagles can now be seen across North Carolina. The majestic birds prefer areas with ample access to open water. They also need large pine or cypress trees to construct their nests, which can weigh as much as one ton. Lakes such as Falls and Jordan in the Piedmont region, or rivers such as the Roanoke or Neuse in the Coastal region provide excellent habitat. There are also several pairs of eagles in the Mountain region around some of the large man-made lakes that were not present in decades past.
|
for larger version      |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
)
