Bald eagles are known for their strength, power and, most notably for Americans, as the symbol of American freedom. The species was nearly wiped out by the mid-1960s, but conservation and monitoring have restored their numbers to healthy enough levels that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted the bald eagle from the federal Endangered Species List in 2007. Though bald eagles are most abundant in Alaska and Canada, Mark Nale for the Pennsylvania Outdoor News says recent sightings signal the bald eagle’s successful restoration in the Keystone State.
“Eagles are special, and your chances of seeing one in the wild are greater now than at any time during the past century. I have seen bald eagles at Lyman Run State Park in Potter County, in downtown Huntingdon, at Bald Eagle State Park in Centre County, while walking the Lower Trail in Blair County and several times along Centre County’s Bald Eagle Creek. My daughter has seen bald eagles along Yellow Creek in Bedford County three times during the past two weeks.
Last year’s survey of Pennsylvania’s nesting bald eagles revealed more than 200 active nests in 51 counties. The 2013 survey will surely show more. It is hard to believe that, 30 years ago, there were only three nests in the commonwealth.”
Photo by: Alaska Department of Fish and Game
