In Delaware skies, the bald eagle soars

[Donna]

Late last year, state Fish and Wildlife agents knew they'd found a great location to release a rescued bald eagle back into the wild.

The property, just west of Millsboro near Ingram Pond, had lots of trees and was close to the corridor along Indian River.

The clincher: Four other bald eagles were standing in a field, feeding on a deer carcass, when the agents arrived to release the bird.

Not so long ago, bald eagles were rare in Delaware -- most often found only in the most remote places.

But last month, as the state Division of Fish & Wildlife completed its annual Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Survey, biologists tallied a record 120 bald eagles. Of those, 77 were adults and 43 were immature birds.

The survey, conducted as part of a nationwide effort, is used to get a snapshot of bald eagle health nationwide. In Delaware, the count is made in January to capture data on resident birds and those just passing through or moving south to feed. Over the next few weeks -- as the birds pair, mate and nest -- state officials will have a clearer picture of bald eagle breeding populations in the state.

State biologists also located two new eagle nests during the survey.

"The division had been receiving recent reports from the public of up to 40 eagles in one place at one time, and the numbers we observed during the midwinter flight further support that Delaware can be a great place for bald eagles during the winter," said Anthony Gonzon, the state wildlife biologist who coordinates the survey.

Susan Davis-Tyndall of Milton didn't realize bald eagles live in Delaware until she saw one feeding on a dead deer in November.

"I thought it was too cold," she said.

Davis-Tyndall said she had spotted the bird along the treeline near her home, and then one morning as she took her son to meet the school bus, they spotted the bird in a field, about 100 feet from the car.

"They are so majestic," she said.

Her 8-year-old son, she said, was "awestruck."

"When I was growing up, they were endangered," she said.

Delaware's nesting bald eagle population has grown from two nesting pairs in the early 1980s to 48 nesting pairs last year.

Bald eagles, though more common than they used to be in Delaware, still are a rarity and are considered a state endangered species. Nationally, the birds were taken off the federal threatened and endangered species list in 2007.

Gonzon said right now there are both nesting and non-nesting birds in the area. Some may be migrants from the north and some of the immature birds may be from the north or the Chesapeake Bay region to the west.

It takes young birds 4 1/2 to 5 years to mature, he said, so during that time "they're just going to be wandering around."

Among the hot spots for eagles in Delaware are places near water -- the Appoquinimink River, Drawyers Creek and Blackbird Creek, Gonzon said. Or places such as Bombay and Prime Hook national wildlife refuges. Anywhere along Del. 9 is also a good spot, he said. In western Sussex County, the Nanticoke River is a hot spot, he said.

Gonzon said that even though he has seen many bald eagles, they still catch his attention.

"I just have to stop and watch them," he said.

Gonzon said no one is certain why the population is up this winter. It could be an anomaly or it could be because of the weather -- snowier than most winters in our region.

But the snapshot helps scientists see emerging trends in bald eagle populations, he said.

The number of bald eagles now in Delaware may be even higher than the survey results show because some areas where eagles are likely to winter were not covered in the survey -- such as parts of western Sussex County and areas in New Castle County north of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, Gonzon said.

The midwinter survey, coordinated by the United States Geological Survey and the Army Corps of Engineers, gives state and federal officials a look at population trends nationwide.

The birds may be more common, but they still face threats including loss of habitat, human disturbance and danger from pollution.

In Delaware, as the eagle population grows, there are more cases of fighting among the birds as they spar over suitable habitat.

"Every year we are finding new nesting areas," he said.

A nesting pair typically establish their territory in a 3-mile radius around their nest. Eagles that stray in aren't welcome, Gonzon said.

Gonzon said there are some places in Delaware where the birds have given up on the turf battle and two pairs are nesting in the same area. It could be because the habitat is so good or so limited, he said.

With the nesting season beginning, state wildlife agents are starting their annual nest monitoring program and will conduct aerial surveys monthly through May.

Last year's nesting pairs produced 60 young, nine fewer than in 2008.

"During the midwinter survey, we observed a number of our birds that are already close to laying the first eggs of 2010," Gonzon said.

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[Donna]

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