Our American Icon: The Bald Eagle Georgia Nesting Update
By Rick Lavender Communications and Outreach Specialist GADNR Wildlife Resources Division
An adult bald eagle resting on a convenient perch. Photo by Tim Keyes, GADNR
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lakes in the midst of extensive development.” This was especially the case on the north edge of metro Atlanta and the margins around Savannah. Have bald eagle numbers soared to the point that the best territories are taken, and birds are nesting in areas they once shunned? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are 316,000 bald eagles in the lower 48 states, a fourfold increase since 2009. Georgia nest totals grew from about 100 in 2007 to 200-plus in 2015. Florida, home to more than 1,500 territories, is documenting eagles nesting in unexpected places, including near urban areas and on electrical towers and other man-made structures. “Perhaps more eagles, especially those classified as floaters because they sort of hang out waiting for territories to become available, are discarding the rule and building homes closer to us,” Sargent said.
he bald eagle is holding its own in Georgia. Six coastal counties were surveyed by helicopter in the winter and spring and another 12 nests were monitored on foot. The coastal counties reported nesting totals almost identical to 2020 and in line with annual averages. Those 71 occupied nest territories fledged 81 young, and 55 nests fledged at least one eaglet. Survey leader Dr. Bob Sargent said six new occupied nest territories were found on the coast, plus three elsewhere in the state. All told, the 83 territories monitored this year fledged 94 young, or 1.5 young per nest, which is the long-term average in Georgia. What isn’t average: Sargent is seeing more eagles nesting closer to areas where there’s more human activity. As a rule of thumb, most eagle pairs in Georgia avoid nesting near man-made structures and human-associated disturbances. While there have been exceptions, Sargent said 2021 featured increased reports of eagles nesting "or exhibiting behaviors associated with the establishment of nesting territories on small 16
Southern Tides Magazine
July 2021
