Written by Bryan Watts
June 10, 2008
Pair of bald eagle chicks in a nest at Chippokes Plantation State Park, VA. Photo by Bryan Watts.
The recovery of bald eagles in the Chesapeake Bay and across North America is one of the greatest conservation success stories of our time. One tool that has played a significant role in this recovery has been the annual survey of the breeding population. The survey has allowed us to track population status and productivity.
Long-time collaborator on aerial surveys, Captain Fuzzzo (Cessna Pilot), with Bryan Watts and Mitchell Byrd. Photo by the Center for Conservation Biology.
Bryan Watts climbing a bald eagle nest tree. Photo by the Center for Conservation Biology.
The survey covers all tributaries of the lower Chesapeake, as well as, other prominent bodies of water and requires more than 100 hours of flying flight time in a high-wing Cessna. During the 2008 breeding season, more than 750 nest structures were monitored and 584 occupied territories were confirmed that produced 864 chicks. This is the highest chick production recorded during the survey’s 52-year history. The population continues to have tremendous momentum. Of 8,364 chicks documented in the past 32 years, 10.3% were produced in 2008 and 65% were produced since 2000.
A brood of osprey in Mobjack Bay showing a well-fed chick (left) and an emaciated chick (right). The chick on the right would die the following week due to starvation. Work in Mobjack Bay over a 40+ year period has shown that both reproductive rates and food delivery rates have declined dramatically. The decline in provisioning has led to an increase in brood reduction or chick loss due to starvation. Photo by Bryan Watts.