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 vi

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.