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| Bald Eagle in flight Photo: D. Menke, USFWS |
People like you and me. Organizations and governments. Community and conservation groups. Private citizens and generous corporate sponsors - all pitch in to help the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) protect and restore the biological diversity of the Great Lakes. It takes all of us working in close partnerships to make this happen under the umbrella of the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem (COA).
Facts about the bald eagle
Bald eagles are found only in North America and are among the 59 species of eagles world wide. When mature – between four and eight years old, they have dark brown feathers on their bodies and wings, white on their heads and tails, with yellow legs, eyes and beaks. Their wingspan can measure up to two metres (or nearly seven feet) and they can reach nearly a metre (31 inches) in body height/length.
They live on scavenged fish and aquatic birds as well as small mammals, amphibians and reptiles. In winter deer carcasses are a major food source.
Bald eagles usually mate for life unless one of the pair dies or disappears. The female lays one to three white eggs in a huge nest which is unmistakable since it’s made of large branches perched high in a tree.
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| Alastair Mathers |
Alastair Mathers coordinates the Ministry’s COA Lake Ontario basin projects out of Picton. “Eagles are part of the biodiversity and natural ecosystem of eastern Lake Ontario. They once were seen everywhere in the skies across the continent,” he says.
Why do bald eagles need help?
Alastair points out, “In the early 1900s bald eagles began to disappear from the shores of the lower Great Lakes, eastern Ontario rivers and the Upper St. Lawrence. By then, observers located only 200 pairs and in the ‘60s, there were no eagles left in the Lake Ontario Basin.”
“In the ’70s, it became clear that many of our ecosystems were failing due, in part, to our use of pesticides such as DDT and chemicals like PCBs, lead and mercury,” he adds. “Bald eagles were affected because they eat fish – laden with these chemicals.“
“And places where they naturally build nests were gradually lost as people spread out across the landscape creating towns, villages and all kinds of development such as factories. These magnificent birds prefer forests and isolation. Nesting spots became scarce as woodlots were cut down. As well the huge birds were often persecuted, driven away or killed because people mistakenly believed they stole small farm animals for food, or would harm pets or even small children.”
What’s being done?
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| Bald Eagle Nest. Photo: Bud Andress |
Technology is coming to the rescue of the bald eagle. The Ministry and a large number of volunteers – landowners and partners – have begun researching ideal nesting sites, assessing nesting successes and carefully monitoring the health and movement of bald eagles and their young.
Eagles like to build their nests in older mature forests near open water or coastal marshes – far from roads and human habitation, so to track the birds and identify nesting sites, the Ministry and its partners are using satellite telemetry.
Alastair explains, “To date we’ve have found numerous potential sites that appear to be close to perfect for eagles to reproduce successfully. We’ve taken blood samples from bald eagle chicks and have also been able to attach electronic transmitters to the legs of chicks so we can monitor their movements.”
And the good news is…
“An important key to restoring the bald eagle is the removal of toxins from the aquatic food chain. To a large degree, this has been successful,” Alastair says. “Eagles will come back on their own if we give them a chance by protecting their habitats and encouraging their public acceptance.”
For the past two years, eagles have been seen around most of the Great Lakes and have been nesting for the first time in 60 years along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Nine nesting platforms were built in 2009. While none of them are active as yet, there is much optimism that before too long the platforms will be used and more bald eagles will be seen in southern Ontario’s skies.
If you can help – or want to know what to do should you spot a bald eagle nest, please visit Bird Studies Canada’s website http://www.bsc-eoc.org/ to find out more.
Key partners, supporters and sponsors in the recovery of bald eagles
• Bird Studies Canada
• Mountain Equipment Co-op
• Ontario Power Generation
• Parks Canada
• Shell Environmental Fund
• Toronto Dominion Canada Trust
• Friends of the Environment Foundation
• United States Environmental Protection Agency
• New York Department of Environmental Conservation
