11 ms·

Bald eagles are thriving again after near extinction

292 points by geox 2y ago

bilsbie 2y ago
For now. They won’t last long at these co2 levels.
- lukevp 2y ago
  I’d be the first to speak out against climate change, but I’m not sure I understand how co2 is relevant? The current ambient co2 in the world ranges around 400-500 ppm. It can easily get into the thousands indoors and that doesn’t impact birds. It seems like we’re a long way off from ambient co2 causing an issue with wild birds?
  - devilbunny 2y ago
    My dog sleeps next to my thighs. She’s small, but under a sheet, a blanket, and a comforter, the CO2 has to be through the roof. Nevertheless she hears my alarm before I do and at 5:25 is wide awake.
- noselasd 2y ago
  Nature will do fine with increased co2, bar arctic/antartic turmoil, it'll not be a big problem. The far bigger problem is that places where nature can even be gets occupied by humans or their farms and logging.
  - ETH_start 2y ago
    Correct, habitat loss from human settlements and agriculture is a far greater threat to the natural environment than CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions have actually resulted in massive greening around the world: https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/carbon-dioxide-fertilization-greening-earth-study-finds/ https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/carbon-d...
- lovich 2y ago
  The two that hang out on my property seem to have raised several chicks to adulthood successfully the past 4 years I've watched them. It seems like they can adapt if they're just left alone
  - Kon-Peki 2y ago
    https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/17/bird-flu-claims-bald-eagle-victim-cook-county-forest-preserve-sandhill-cranes-are-dying https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/17/bird-flu-claims-bald-eagle-... Maybe
lukevp 2y ago
Here in Oregon we have a lot of them, but it never gets old seeing them! We usually see at least a couple on our way to the coast from Portland. Earlier this week, my wife and I saw a mating pair fly high over this field by our house and spiral down towards the ground, holding talons. It was amazing, they are huge incredible birds. I’m so glad to live somewhere that has lots of public land and habitat preservation so my family can enjoy the clean air, water, skies, and trees, as can all of the wildlife we have.
- bredren 2y ago
  There is a big nest above the Oaks Bottom wetland. It is strange to have bald eagles hanging out as a normal part of the area.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- iammiles 2y ago
  Adding to this thread: I see them a ton around Cathedral Park in St Johns.
- bliteben 2y ago
  In Astoria, Oregon on Wireless road you can find nearly 100 in a tree. I'm not sure why they are in such high numbers, but you can often see them scavenging fields where seafood waste (shells) are dumped.
  - thedrexster 2y ago
    <<not sure why they are in such high numbers, but you can often see them scavenging fields where seafood waste>> that's why. :)
  - lukevp 2y ago
    That’s amazing! I’d love to see it. Looking at a map, the road doesn’t look too long so we could hunt for it, but if you see this could you describe how to find the specific tree?
- 2y ago
YesBox 2y ago
Siting in central Vermont confirmed this winter :). Pretty cool seeing one, as it was a first for me. Took me a second to believe what I was seeing.
- quesera 2y ago
  The first time I saw a bald eagle was about a mile's walk into the woods (no paths), in a marshy area in a northeastern state forest. We surprised each other, and all I could do is stare, stunned, while s/he took flight about 20 yards in front of me. Now granted, I was about 15 and had grown up with all the iconography and mythology, but I felt instantly that that bird earned it all. S/he was enormous and beautiful and majestic in a way that I had never seen before in a wild animal. (And rarely since!) Made me think that, to the great majority of species, humans are just an unwelcome out-of-control infestation on the planet. Yes, we have some redeeming qualities, but they are not often on display to these animals. :)
PeterWhittaker 2y ago
Canada says "you're welcome". (Quite some time ago US and Canadian researchers worked to trap and transport eagles from northern Canada, where there will still several thousand; those birds helped restore the population in the contiguous states.) I've not been able to find sources to indicate the bird's conservation status in Canada at that time. As far as I can tell, every mention of the birds being on the verge of extinction should always be followed by "in the US".
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- jandrewrogers 2y ago
  They were not even endangered in the US but in the contiguous US. There was always a large population in Alaska such that people were paid to cull them. Many "endangered" animals in the US are not endangered in the sense of extinction but in the sense that they are leaving some part of their native range. They are often "endangered in $LOCALE", not endangered generally.
  - odyssey7 2y ago
    I feel that eagles that can fly large distances are in a different category from land animals, which have greater pressures to adapt their lineages to particular geographic ranges, to specialize within the species. For example, the Florida Panther: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_panther https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_panther
  - willturman 2y ago
    This is so unbelievably lazy. You even say this in reference to Eagles, which are a migratory species whose range crosses hemispheres, as if the contiguous United States is some small aside on that path. “Don’t worry about the regional extinction of a migratory apex predator because they’re conveniently thriving in dumpsters behind the McDonalds in a town in Alaska.”
    - 2y ago
eschulz 2y ago
I pretty much see them on a daily basis in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin and Illinois these days, which is great because I don't think I had one sighting for the first 30 or so years of my life.
- apercu 2y ago
  I'm South of Madison. Love the Driftless!
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
Cyclone_ 2y ago
Growing up in Minnesota I would see them quite a bit. We have a lot of lakes, so it's an environment where you would see a lot of them.
tartuffe78 2y ago
Living in Michigan I used to only see them rarely up north, now I see them on my drive home from work in the middle of the state!
Exoristos 2y ago
When I was a kid growing up in eastern Kentucky, I went on a hike through isolated country about five or ten miles from home. Was way up on what was basically a small mountain and saw a bald eagle circle overhead. Naturally, I told everybody, but they thought I was lying or an idiot. Now nobody would have any reason to doubt it. Amazing to witness such a comeback in our own lifetimes!
apercu 2y ago
In 90's I saw bald eagles for the first time (I mostly grew up in DFW, TX) in the Mississippi Valley between WI and Iowa, later in backbone ridge state park, where the valleys are so steep the eagles are flying below you when you're on a spur. It was amazing to me because, as a child in the 70's and 80's we were always hearing about DDT and endangered eagles. Fast forward ~30 years from the early 90's (after a long stint in Canada) I've moved to semi-rural Wisconsin and I see eagles monthly, and closeup (I see red-tail hawks daily, Cooper hawks weekly - one killed one of my chickens last fall), pheasants weekly and sandhill cranes for months every year. Seems like the conservation efforts for eagles actually worked, and I can't be more pleased. (Hey, I like birds, ok? I even kept a log with my partner for a while of all the birds we were able to identify at our Bir feeders and on walks).
- tempoponet 2y ago
  You may find it interesting that DFW has a nesting pair of eagles that got blown down in a storm and stuck around. What's doubly interesting is that the same area has flocks of parrots that are also thriving.
- pfdietz 2y ago
  Sandhill cranes are a game bird in some states. I understand they're very tasty.
bigiain 2y ago
Kinda sad and ironic that the symbol of American freedom is thriving right now...
- kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 2y ago
  Why?
  - celdon25 2y ago
    It's ironic that someone would think that because their candidate of choice didn't win in a democratic election (if they were even an American).
dejv 2y ago
Similar story in Europe with white tailed eagles, which are quite similar in size. They were extinct in my area for maybe 60 years and recently returned and even started to hatch.
pbmango 2y ago
Growing up in Buffalo New York, I only once as a kid saw one flying while on a camping trip in a remote state park. Now, you see one almost every day on the coastline of lake Erie. They are so much bigger than other birds that you will notice even if you are not on the lookout. Their scale is astounding compared to sea gulls. They have also come back to the Potomac and Washington DC which is nice.
voakbasda 2y ago
Bald eagles occasionally visit my farm. On multiple occasions, I have seen them swoop in and carry off a duck, leaving almost no evidence. They eventually eat my entire flock, so I periodically need to restock. Even when I catch them in the act, I cannot yell at them for it, because that would be "hazing". They are federally prohibited from any sort of interference, so they have learned that there is a consequence-free dine-and-dash buffet here. These experiences enlightened me as to why some farmers prefer the "3S" approach to predator management: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up.
- eYrKEC2 2y ago
  A similar thing happens in Greece where if antiquities are found on your property , you want to properly bury it immediately or risk going bankrupt on your building project. Not sure on the details, but this is what my Greek boss told me once.
  - teruakohatu 2y ago
    This is a minor plot line in the British TV show Detectorists.
  - m463 2y ago
    In the US there's the 5th ammendment: "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." don't know how that would actually work if something like the parthenon was uncovered in the US.
7thaccount 2y ago
There are some bald eagle cams where you can watch the baby eagles in the nests. They eat a lot of fish.
busyant 2y ago
Saw 3 of them today in central Connecticut. Never gets old. About 2 years ago, a juvenile baldie landed on a pier 4.0 meters from me (according to my camera sensor). https://photos.app.goo.gl/6cUhtJggrVn5KakX6 https://photos.app.goo.gl/6cUhtJggrVn5KakX6 I thought the dang thing was gonna rip me to shreds. But it just looked me over for about 10 seconds and then rendezvoused with an older eagle over the Connecticut River.
- munificent 2y ago
  That focus is crisp!
  - busyant 2y ago
    Surprisingly, it's not that crisp. I was on the pier at sunrise (probably about 5:30 AM) and the light was LOW, so I had to boost the ISO a lot. Ironically, the bird was almost too close because the minimum distance of my telephoto lens was about 4 meters.
    - munificent 2y ago
      Boosting the ISO will increase noise, but it won't have any effect on focus. Of course, low light means a wider aperture and a shallow depth of field, but as long as the subject is right at the focal distance, that won't matter much either. There is definitely visible noise, but you nailed the focus.
- mschuster91 2y ago
  That's one really awesome photo, everything is perfect on it.
temporallobe 2y ago
Can confirm. I see them almost every day in central Florida. I live near a so-called bird sanctuary and wildlife preserve so maybe that accounts for sone if it.
- macintux 2y ago
  Why “so-called”?
  - temporallobe 2y ago
    Many locals refer to it as such, but I am not sure the area has been officially deemed a bird sanctuary. It is a well-known area where birds from around the world converge.
tshaddox 2y ago
This is good news, although the only "news" here seems to be the removal from the New Jersey endangered species list. The success of conservation efforts were already being widely lauded in the mid-1990s in Missouri (and deliberately emphasized in the public school curriculum), and bald eagles were common sights particularly near the Missouri or Mississippi River.
- joecool1029 2y ago
  Who knows they might go back on the list, bird flu has been bad in NJ and the first place I saw regular nesting pairs of bald eagles is now closed off to the public because of it: https://merrillcreek.com/ https://merrillcreek.com/ Some more general news on it killing them: https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/interactive/2024/bald-eagle-avian-flu-death/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/interactive/2024/bald...
brandall10 2y ago
Moved to Denver at the beginning of the pandemic. One of my coolest memories that first winter was bald eagle watching at Barr Lake. Thought we'd be lucky to see one or two, but actually stumbled on about a dozen, all mating pairs. The nests were ridiculous, probably about 5-6 feet in diameter and several feet tall.
ramesh31 2y ago
They are technically classified as "Least Concern" now; at the bottom of the chart right alongside seagulls and pigeons. Not even threatened anymore. As well as the fact that being an apex predator means countless other (less charismatic) species and ecosystems had to have been saved to make it happen. What an accomplishment.
- pfdietz 2y ago
  They do have a US law focused on them, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
inasio 2y ago
I remember going on a boat ride to a hotsprings cove on the Pacific side of Vancouver island, and seeing 50+ bald eagles in a small bay flying around a fishing boat. At the time I still thought bald eagles were endangered. They're pretty common in Vancouver, especially near the water, but on occasion I've also seen very large groups flying over land
exabrial 2y ago
I've seen one of these suckers IRL. They are huge. Pics simply don't due justice.
kasey_junk 2y ago
I see bald eagles pretty regularly on the south side of Chicago in an old industrial site that is being redeveloped as a wilderness area and bike park. The first time one flew over me pretty low was a very reptile brain moment.
ilamont 2y ago
I grew up in New England in the 70s and 80s and never saw one - we were told that they were nearly wiped out in the lower 48 by illegal hunting and poisoning via DDT or some other substance that they ingested through poisoned prey. I saw my first one about 25 years ago outside our office building that overlooked a partially frozen reservoir. Some ducks or geese were clustered in an open patch of water, and then boom! The eagle came down. It ate the waterfowl on the edge of the ice, staining it red with blood and gore. Now they are common, especially near rivers or lakes. One regularly perches on the neighbor's giant fir that towers over our house. They are huge.
dyauspitr 2y ago
I love seeing them. I wouldn’t mind seeing 20 a day. I assume they’re generally good for the ecosystem?
- tinyplanets 2y ago
  They're alpha predators. Alpha predators are vital to a healthy, functioning ecosystem.
the_doctah 2y ago
Going fishing in Canada, fishermen will just smack a walleye in the noggin with an oar, knocking it senseless, and throw it in the water a few yards from the boat. Eagles will just swoop down and grab it. Pretty interesting way to get up close an personal.
srdesigner 2y ago
I was part of the re-introduction program for Bald Eagles (coastal NC) and Peregrines (Mountains NC) and am extremely proud of that. I lived on a mountain in NC with the hacking falcons and in a wildlife refuge in NC on the coast for the eagles. Great memories feeding and tracking the fledglings.
- tinyplanets 2y ago
  Thank you for your efforts!
ziofill 2y ago
I live in British Columbia, there are tons of bald eagles over here.
ETH_start 2y ago
The disappearance of a species from a region is called extirpation, not extinction.
czk 2y ago
Wow, I never knew they used to offer DDT-laced wallpaper. https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/files/2008/02/DDTwallpaper-726x1024.jpg https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/files/2008/02/DDTwallp...
jpcom 2y ago
In Colorado I had the pleasure to see two bald eagles flying in a circle recently. It really brightened my day!
gunian 2y ago
bald eagles thriving if you got feathers be wary because you are not willing to give to the cause
WalterBright 2y ago
There are at least 5 nesting within a mile of my house, and I live within the city limits. It's just a joy seeing them float overhead. One time I was walking down the street and one came gliding along the street at eye level. I could have reached out and touched its wingtip. Wingtip to wingtip, it's gigantic. But my, the look on its face! It's a pure predator. No wonder fighter pilots like to paint eagles on their birds. I sure wouldn't want to get in a scrap with one. I had no idea how big owls were, either, until one sat on the porch railing staring at me. Glad I was bigger than the owl. It's not a good neighborhood for outdoor cats and small dogs.
dboreham 2y ago
Quick note that article is describing the species recovery since 1971 which is so long ago that even I don't remember much about that year. So although we have eagles that like to circle above Costco and pull fish out the river by my kids old school, they were on their way to extinction 50 years ago.
oblib 2y ago
I'm 66 years old and never saw a Bald Eagle until I was in my 30s. That was near St. Louis along the Mississippi River. Where I live now (the Ozarks) they're common to see and have been for over 30 years. Some years ago I was camping out here on a lake shore and early in the morning there was a pair of Bald eagles sitting together on a limb on the other side of the lake. I couldn't help but stand there and stare at them. After a bit one of them took off and started flying right toward me, and when it got to my side of the lake it swooped down and pick up a dead branch off the shore line and then turn at me, flapped it's wings a couple time and then threw it at me! Then it flew right back to where its mate was and sat back down next it. I couldn't help but think they were both laughing at me. Last year, about this time of year, I saw my first Golden Eagle. It was trying to snatch one of my hens. Those are truly amazing. By far the biggest bird I've ever seen. And to be so close to it too. I wasn't more than 12ft from it. I waved my arms and screamed at it and it finally let go of the hen and took off. As it took off I saw there was a "murder" of crows sitting in the trees watching us, at least 30-40 of them, and the eagle took off heading their way. As soon as it got close to the them they all took off chasing it, dive bombing it and cawing like mad! It's truly great to see them, but my experience is you can't trust them.
- techterrier 2y ago
  Super wierd take.
  - JKCalhoun 2y ago
    Ha ha, the last line made me ponder whether the whole thing was a metaphor. I've been watching too many Russian films lately I suppose.
- neolefty 2y ago
  > It's truly great to see them, but my experience is you can't trust them. Suddenly a life lesson. > ... it finally let go of the hen and took off. How was the hen afterwards?
  - oblib 2y ago
doright 2y ago
I think the strongest indicator a species will survive extinction and thrive is "appears as a drawing on the rear of millions of nationally worshipped pieces of paper". I wonder if for example publishing a naked mole rat stamp in some extremely large quantity would have some kind of effect on conservation (if they happened to be vulnerable to habitat loss).
nyjah 2y ago
I've lived in the area I live in for over 30 years. It's in a rural area. Last year I was walking in the woods and I came across a bald eagle on the ground eating something. I was probably 10 feet from it when it flew away. I saw 2 when I was golfing last summer. And then just a couple of months ago I saw another flying above my car after eating something near the road. I had never seen a bald eagle before these encounters.
pfdietz 2y ago
Living near Ithaca, NY, I often see bald eagles when out on bird walks. But this doesn't compare to some years ago during a cold winter in Illinois. The Mississippi River had mostly frozen over, and a very large group of bald eagles had congregated in the Quad Cities area near the dams, where the outflow kept the water clear of ice and stunned fish for them to eat. I mean: hundreds of eagles, clogging up city parks, in the trees, on the ground, everywhere. It was remarkable.
EncomLab 2y ago
The changes made to help Bald Eagles have had a positive effect on all raptors - we have had a big uptick in Coopers Hawks, with several nesting in our area. They are territorial and relatively long lived so we have names for the ones we see most often. An environment that can support apex predators is generally a pretty good one!
ravedave5 2y ago
Soon TV shows and movies won't be able to use the red tail hawk noise for bald eagles because everyone will actually know what they sound like.
noja 2y ago
Why bald? Bald eagles are not bald; the name derives from an older meaning of the word, "white-headed". — Wikipedia
Sporktacular 2y ago
It's a portent. Donald J. Trump must be bringing the greatness back.
bearjaws 2y ago
See them every month now in Central Florida. My friend works for the state protecting them, mainly ensuring they are not disturbed when new construction or powerlines are installed.
mgas 2y ago
If anyone is interested in seeing bald eagles, there is a nesting pair in Big Bear, CA with three eggs being monitored via live webcam: https://www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/eagles/ https://www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/eagles/
- Supermancho 2y ago
  In Orange County, specifically Santa Ana CA, my grandfather had built a house with the help of his 2 brothers back in the 50s. A bald eagle would land in the backyard almost every year in July as some sort of stop along a migratory path. I first saw it when I was 7 and it was at least as big as me. I took over the property from 2011ish to 2018 in my late 30s and I never saw another. Glad they are still there.
canadiantim 2y ago
America is well and truly back
mrlatinos 2y ago
Anecdotally - I live in Ohio, this past year I have seen 3 bald eagles, including one nest. Prior to this I have never seen one (aside from out of state travels).
rtkwe 2y ago
It's kind of crazy going to a port in Alaska where they're nearly as common as seagulls scavenging cast offs from the fishing industry. A few is amazing and majestic a dozen or more just looks silly.

292 points by geox 2y ago

bilsbie 2y ago

For now. They won’t last long at these co2 levels.

lukevp 2y ago
I’d be the first to speak out against climate change, but I’m not sure I understand how co2 is relevant? The current ambient co2 in the world ranges around 400-500 ppm. It can easily get into the thousands indoors and that doesn’t impact birds. It seems like we’re a long way off from ambient co2 causing an issue with wild birds?
- devilbunny 2y ago
  My dog sleeps next to my thighs. She’s small, but under a sheet, a blanket, and a comforter, the CO2 has to be through the roof. Nevertheless she hears my alarm before I do and at 5:25 is wide awake.
noselasd 2y ago
Nature will do fine with increased co2, bar arctic/antartic turmoil, it'll not be a big problem. The far bigger problem is that places where nature can even be gets occupied by humans or their farms and logging.
- ETH_start 2y ago
  Correct, habitat loss from human settlements and agriculture is a far greater threat to the natural environment than CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions have actually resulted in massive greening around the world: https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/carbon-dioxide-fertilization-greening-earth-study-finds/ https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/carbon-d...
lovich 2y ago
The two that hang out on my property seem to have raised several chicks to adulthood successfully the past 4 years I've watched them. It seems like they can adapt if they're just left alone
- Kon-Peki 2y ago
  https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/17/bird-flu-claims-bald-eagle-victim-cook-county-forest-preserve-sandhill-cranes-are-dying https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/17/bird-flu-claims-bald-eagle-... Maybe

lukevp 2y ago

Here in Oregon we have a lot of them, but it never gets old seeing them! We usually see at least a couple on our way to the coast from Portland. Earlier this week, my wife and I saw a mating pair fly high over this field by our house and spiral down towards the ground, holding talons. It was amazing, they are huge incredible birds. I’m so glad to live somewhere that has lots of public land and habitat preservation so my family can enjoy the clean air, water, skies, and trees, as can all of the wildlife we have.

bredren 2y ago
There is a big nest above the Oaks Bottom wetland. It is strange to have bald eagles hanging out as a normal part of the area.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
iammiles 2y ago
Adding to this thread: I see them a ton around Cathedral Park in St Johns.
bliteben 2y ago
In Astoria, Oregon on Wireless road you can find nearly 100 in a tree. I'm not sure why they are in such high numbers, but you can often see them scavenging fields where seafood waste (shells) are dumped.
- thedrexster 2y ago
  <<not sure why they are in such high numbers, but you can often see them scavenging fields where seafood waste>> that's why. :)
- lukevp 2y ago
  That’s amazing! I’d love to see it. Looking at a map, the road doesn’t look too long so we could hunt for it, but if you see this could you describe how to find the specific tree?
2y ago

YesBox 2y ago

Siting in central Vermont confirmed this winter :). Pretty cool seeing one, as it was a first for me. Took me a second to believe what I was seeing.

quesera 2y ago
The first time I saw a bald eagle was about a mile's walk into the woods (no paths), in a marshy area in a northeastern state forest. We surprised each other, and all I could do is stare, stunned, while s/he took flight about 20 yards in front of me. Now granted, I was about 15 and had grown up with all the iconography and mythology, but I felt instantly that that bird earned it all. S/he was enormous and beautiful and majestic in a way that I had never seen before in a wild animal. (And rarely since!) Made me think that, to the great majority of species, humans are just an unwelcome out-of-control infestation on the planet. Yes, we have some redeeming qualities, but they are not often on display to these animals. :)

PeterWhittaker 2y ago

Canada says "you're welcome". (Quite some time ago US and Canadian researchers worked to trap and transport eagles from northern Canada, where there will still several thousand; those birds helped restore the population in the contiguous states.) I've not been able to find sources to indicate the bird's conservation status in Canada at that time. As far as I can tell, every mention of the birds being on the verge of extinction should always be followed by "in the US".

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
jandrewrogers 2y ago
They were not even endangered in the US but in the contiguous US. There was always a large population in Alaska such that people were paid to cull them. Many "endangered" animals in the US are not endangered in the sense of extinction but in the sense that they are leaving some part of their native range. They are often "endangered in $LOCALE", not endangered generally.
- odyssey7 2y ago
  I feel that eagles that can fly large distances are in a different category from land animals, which have greater pressures to adapt their lineages to particular geographic ranges, to specialize within the species. For example, the Florida Panther: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_panther https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_panther
- willturman 2y ago
  This is so unbelievably lazy. You even say this in reference to Eagles, which are a migratory species whose range crosses hemispheres, as if the contiguous United States is some small aside on that path. “Don’t worry about the regional extinction of a migratory apex predator because they’re conveniently thriving in dumpsters behind the McDonalds in a town in Alaska.”
  - 2y ago

eschulz 2y ago

I pretty much see them on a daily basis in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin and Illinois these days, which is great because I don't think I had one sighting for the first 30 or so years of my life.

apercu 2y ago
I'm South of Madison. Love the Driftless!
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

Cyclone_ 2y ago

Growing up in Minnesota I would see them quite a bit. We have a lot of lakes, so it's an environment where you would see a lot of them.

tartuffe78 2y ago

Living in Michigan I used to only see them rarely up north, now I see them on my drive home from work in the middle of the state!

Exoristos 2y ago

When I was a kid growing up in eastern Kentucky, I went on a hike through isolated country about five or ten miles from home. Was way up on what was basically a small mountain and saw a bald eagle circle overhead. Naturally, I told everybody, but they thought I was lying or an idiot. Now nobody would have any reason to doubt it. Amazing to witness such a comeback in our own lifetimes!

apercu 2y ago

In 90's I saw bald eagles for the first time (I mostly grew up in DFW, TX) in the Mississippi Valley between WI and Iowa, later in backbone ridge state park, where the valleys are so steep the eagles are flying below you when you're on a spur. It was amazing to me because, as a child in the 70's and 80's we were always hearing about DDT and endangered eagles. Fast forward ~30 years from the early 90's (after a long stint in Canada) I've moved to semi-rural Wisconsin and I see eagles monthly, and closeup (I see red-tail hawks daily, Cooper hawks weekly - one killed one of my chickens last fall), pheasants weekly and sandhill cranes for months every year. Seems like the conservation efforts for eagles actually worked, and I can't be more pleased. (Hey, I like birds, ok? I even kept a log with my partner for a while of all the birds we were able to identify at our Bir feeders and on walks).

tempoponet 2y ago
You may find it interesting that DFW has a nesting pair of eagles that got blown down in a storm and stuck around. What's doubly interesting is that the same area has flocks of parrots that are also thriving.
pfdietz 2y ago
Sandhill cranes are a game bird in some states. I understand they're very tasty.

bigiain 2y ago

Kinda sad and ironic that the symbol of American freedom is thriving right now...

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 2y ago
Why?
- celdon25 2y ago
  It's ironic that someone would think that because their candidate of choice didn't win in a democratic election (if they were even an American).

dejv 2y ago

Similar story in Europe with white tailed eagles, which are quite similar in size. They were extinct in my area for maybe 60 years and recently returned and even started to hatch.

pbmango 2y ago

Growing up in Buffalo New York, I only once as a kid saw one flying while on a camping trip in a remote state park. Now, you see one almost every day on the coastline of lake Erie. They are so much bigger than other birds that you will notice even if you are not on the lookout. Their scale is astounding compared to sea gulls. They have also come back to the Potomac and Washington DC which is nice.

voakbasda 2y ago

Bald eagles occasionally visit my farm. On multiple occasions, I have seen them swoop in and carry off a duck, leaving almost no evidence. They eventually eat my entire flock, so I periodically need to restock. Even when I catch them in the act, I cannot yell at them for it, because that would be "hazing". They are federally prohibited from any sort of interference, so they have learned that there is a consequence-free dine-and-dash buffet here. These experiences enlightened me as to why some farmers prefer the "3S" approach to predator management: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up.

eYrKEC2 2y ago
A similar thing happens in Greece where if antiquities are found on your property , you want to properly bury it immediately or risk going bankrupt on your building project. Not sure on the details, but this is what my Greek boss told me once.
- teruakohatu 2y ago
  This is a minor plot line in the British TV show Detectorists.
- m463 2y ago
  In the US there's the 5th ammendment: "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." don't know how that would actually work if something like the parthenon was uncovered in the US.

7thaccount 2y ago

There are some bald eagle cams where you can watch the baby eagles in the nests. They eat a lot of fish.

busyant 2y ago

Saw 3 of them today in central Connecticut. Never gets old. About 2 years ago, a juvenile baldie landed on a pier 4.0 meters from me (according to my camera sensor). https://photos.app.goo.gl/6cUhtJggrVn5KakX6 https://photos.app.goo.gl/6cUhtJggrVn5KakX6 I thought the dang thing was gonna rip me to shreds. But it just looked me over for about 10 seconds and then rendezvoused with an older eagle over the Connecticut River.

munificent 2y ago
That focus is crisp!
- busyant 2y ago
  Surprisingly, it's not that crisp. I was on the pier at sunrise (probably about 5:30 AM) and the light was LOW, so I had to boost the ISO a lot. Ironically, the bird was almost too close because the minimum distance of my telephoto lens was about 4 meters.
  - munificent 2y ago
    Boosting the ISO will increase noise, but it won't have any effect on focus. Of course, low light means a wider aperture and a shallow depth of field, but as long as the subject is right at the focal distance, that won't matter much either. There is definitely visible noise, but you nailed the focus.
mschuster91 2y ago
That's one really awesome photo, everything is perfect on it.

temporallobe 2y ago

Can confirm. I see them almost every day in central Florida. I live near a so-called bird sanctuary and wildlife preserve so maybe that accounts for sone if it.

macintux 2y ago
Why “so-called”?
- temporallobe 2y ago
  Many locals refer to it as such, but I am not sure the area has been officially deemed a bird sanctuary. It is a well-known area where birds from around the world converge.

tshaddox 2y ago

This is good news, although the only "news" here seems to be the removal from the New Jersey endangered species list. The success of conservation efforts were already being widely lauded in the mid-1990s in Missouri (and deliberately emphasized in the public school curriculum), and bald eagles were common sights particularly near the Missouri or Mississippi River.

joecool1029 2y ago
Who knows they might go back on the list, bird flu has been bad in NJ and the first place I saw regular nesting pairs of bald eagles is now closed off to the public because of it: https://merrillcreek.com/ https://merrillcreek.com/ Some more general news on it killing them: https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/interactive/2024/bald-eagle-avian-flu-death/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/interactive/2024/bald...

brandall10 2y ago

Moved to Denver at the beginning of the pandemic. One of my coolest memories that first winter was bald eagle watching at Barr Lake. Thought we'd be lucky to see one or two, but actually stumbled on about a dozen, all mating pairs. The nests were ridiculous, probably about 5-6 feet in diameter and several feet tall.

ramesh31 2y ago

They are technically classified as "Least Concern" now; at the bottom of the chart right alongside seagulls and pigeons. Not even threatened anymore. As well as the fact that being an apex predator means countless other (less charismatic) species and ecosystems had to have been saved to make it happen. What an accomplishment.

pfdietz 2y ago
They do have a US law focused on them, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

inasio 2y ago

I remember going on a boat ride to a hotsprings cove on the Pacific side of Vancouver island, and seeing 50+ bald eagles in a small bay flying around a fishing boat. At the time I still thought bald eagles were endangered. They're pretty common in Vancouver, especially near the water, but on occasion I've also seen very large groups flying over land

exabrial 2y ago

I've seen one of these suckers IRL. They are huge. Pics simply don't due justice.

kasey_junk 2y ago

I see bald eagles pretty regularly on the south side of Chicago in an old industrial site that is being redeveloped as a wilderness area and bike park. The first time one flew over me pretty low was a very reptile brain moment.

ilamont 2y ago

I grew up in New England in the 70s and 80s and never saw one - we were told that they were nearly wiped out in the lower 48 by illegal hunting and poisoning via DDT or some other substance that they ingested through poisoned prey. I saw my first one about 25 years ago outside our office building that overlooked a partially frozen reservoir. Some ducks or geese were clustered in an open patch of water, and then boom! The eagle came down. It ate the waterfowl on the edge of the ice, staining it red with blood and gore. Now they are common, especially near rivers or lakes. One regularly perches on the neighbor's giant fir that towers over our house. They are huge.

dyauspitr 2y ago

I love seeing them. I wouldn’t mind seeing 20 a day. I assume they’re generally good for the ecosystem?

tinyplanets 2y ago
They're alpha predators. Alpha predators are vital to a healthy, functioning ecosystem.

the_doctah 2y ago

Going fishing in Canada, fishermen will just smack a walleye in the noggin with an oar, knocking it senseless, and throw it in the water a few yards from the boat. Eagles will just swoop down and grab it. Pretty interesting way to get up close an personal.

srdesigner 2y ago

I was part of the re-introduction program for Bald Eagles (coastal NC) and Peregrines (Mountains NC) and am extremely proud of that. I lived on a mountain in NC with the hacking falcons and in a wildlife refuge in NC on the coast for the eagles. Great memories feeding and tracking the fledglings.

tinyplanets 2y ago
Thank you for your efforts!

ziofill 2y ago

I live in British Columbia, there are tons of bald eagles over here.

ETH_start 2y ago

The disappearance of a species from a region is called extirpation, not extinction.

czk 2y ago

Wow, I never knew they used to offer DDT-laced wallpaper. https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/files/2008/02/DDTwallpaper-726x1024.jpg https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/files/2008/02/DDTwallp...

jpcom 2y ago

In Colorado I had the pleasure to see two bald eagles flying in a circle recently. It really brightened my day!

gunian 2y ago

bald eagles thriving if you got feathers be wary because you are not willing to give to the cause

WalterBright 2y ago

There are at least 5 nesting within a mile of my house, and I live within the city limits. It's just a joy seeing them float overhead. One time I was walking down the street and one came gliding along the street at eye level. I could have reached out and touched its wingtip. Wingtip to wingtip, it's gigantic. But my, the look on its face! It's a pure predator. No wonder fighter pilots like to paint eagles on their birds. I sure wouldn't want to get in a scrap with one. I had no idea how big owls were, either, until one sat on the porch railing staring at me. Glad I was bigger than the owl. It's not a good neighborhood for outdoor cats and small dogs.

dboreham 2y ago

Quick note that article is describing the species recovery since 1971 which is so long ago that even I don't remember much about that year. So although we have eagles that like to circle above Costco and pull fish out the river by my kids old school, they were on their way to extinction 50 years ago.

oblib 2y ago

I'm 66 years old and never saw a Bald Eagle until I was in my 30s. That was near St. Louis along the Mississippi River. Where I live now (the Ozarks) they're common to see and have been for over 30 years. Some years ago I was camping out here on a lake shore and early in the morning there was a pair of Bald eagles sitting together on a limb on the other side of the lake. I couldn't help but stand there and stare at them. After a bit one of them took off and started flying right toward me, and when it got to my side of the lake it swooped down and pick up a dead branch off the shore line and then turn at me, flapped it's wings a couple time and then threw it at me! Then it flew right back to where its mate was and sat back down next it. I couldn't help but think they were both laughing at me. Last year, about this time of year, I saw my first Golden Eagle. It was trying to snatch one of my hens. Those are truly amazing. By far the biggest bird I've ever seen. And to be so close to it too. I wasn't more than 12ft from it. I waved my arms and screamed at it and it finally let go of the hen and took off. As it took off I saw there was a "murder" of crows sitting in the trees watching us, at least 30-40 of them, and the eagle took off heading their way. As soon as it got close to the them they all took off chasing it, dive bombing it and cawing like mad! It's truly great to see them, but my experience is you can't trust them.

techterrier 2y ago
Super wierd take.
- JKCalhoun 2y ago
  Ha ha, the last line made me ponder whether the whole thing was a metaphor. I've been watching too many Russian films lately I suppose.
neolefty 2y ago
> It's truly great to see them, but my experience is you can't trust them. Suddenly a life lesson. > ... it finally let go of the hen and took off. How was the hen afterwards?
- oblib 2y ago

doright 2y ago

I think the strongest indicator a species will survive extinction and thrive is "appears as a drawing on the rear of millions of nationally worshipped pieces of paper". I wonder if for example publishing a naked mole rat stamp in some extremely large quantity would have some kind of effect on conservation (if they happened to be vulnerable to habitat loss).

nyjah 2y ago

I've lived in the area I live in for over 30 years. It's in a rural area. Last year I was walking in the woods and I came across a bald eagle on the ground eating something. I was probably 10 feet from it when it flew away. I saw 2 when I was golfing last summer. And then just a couple of months ago I saw another flying above my car after eating something near the road. I had never seen a bald eagle before these encounters.

pfdietz 2y ago

Living near Ithaca, NY, I often see bald eagles when out on bird walks. But this doesn't compare to some years ago during a cold winter in Illinois. The Mississippi River had mostly frozen over, and a very large group of bald eagles had congregated in the Quad Cities area near the dams, where the outflow kept the water clear of ice and stunned fish for them to eat. I mean: hundreds of eagles, clogging up city parks, in the trees, on the ground, everywhere. It was remarkable.

EncomLab 2y ago

The changes made to help Bald Eagles have had a positive effect on all raptors - we have had a big uptick in Coopers Hawks, with several nesting in our area. They are territorial and relatively long lived so we have names for the ones we see most often. An environment that can support apex predators is generally a pretty good one!

ravedave5 2y ago

Soon TV shows and movies won't be able to use the red tail hawk noise for bald eagles because everyone will actually know what they sound like.

noja 2y ago

Why bald? Bald eagles are not bald; the name derives from an older meaning of the word, "white-headed". — Wikipedia

Sporktacular 2y ago

It's a portent. Donald J. Trump must be bringing the greatness back.

bearjaws 2y ago

See them every month now in Central Florida. My friend works for the state protecting them, mainly ensuring they are not disturbed when new construction or powerlines are installed.

mgas 2y ago

If anyone is interested in seeing bald eagles, there is a nesting pair in Big Bear, CA with three eggs being monitored via live webcam: https://www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/eagles/ https://www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/eagles/

Supermancho 2y ago
In Orange County, specifically Santa Ana CA, my grandfather had built a house with the help of his 2 brothers back in the 50s. A bald eagle would land in the backyard almost every year in July as some sort of stop along a migratory path. I first saw it when I was 7 and it was at least as big as me. I took over the property from 2011ish to 2018 in my late 30s and I never saw another. Glad they are still there.

canadiantim 2y ago

America is well and truly back

mrlatinos 2y ago

Anecdotally - I live in Ohio, this past year I have seen 3 bald eagles, including one nest. Prior to this I have never seen one (aside from out of state travels).

rtkwe 2y ago

It's kind of crazy going to a port in Alaska where they're nearly as common as seagulls scavenging cast offs from the fishing industry. A few is amazing and majestic a dozen or more just looks silly.