For those of you who do not get the Galax Gazette you might enjoy this article
about the first eagle nest known for the past 100 years recently discovered in
Grayson County. The New River would seem to be very suitable for eagle breeding
if humans would leave them alone.
Bill
After a century, bald eagles soar again
- A A + A
First active eagle nest in 100 years discovered in Grayson
Monday, June 1, 2015 at 6:00 am (Updated: June 1, 6:00 am)
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WITH VIDEO
Blue Ridge Discovery Center
A bald eagle perches majestically on a tree near the New River in Grayson
County. “This is a landmark discovery many of us have been looking forward to
for years," said Aaron Floyd of the Blue Ridge Discovery Center.
1 of 2
Submitted by Scott Jackson-Ricketts, Blue Ridge Discovery Center
You’re out weeding your garden, perhaps hiking the New River Trail, or just
driving along a country road when suddenly you spy a raptor overhead, stretched
out like a board, a nine-and-a-half-pound bird with a wingspan of 80 inches,
its white head and tail sealing the identification, a graceful marriage of bird
and sky.
Take another look if you can, and savor the moment.
Fortunately for residents of Grayson County, this moment is becoming less rare.
Many people have been increasingly rewarded with sightings of these majestic
eagles in southwest Virginia as their population continues to rebound from a
low in 1971.
Almost no one expects to see a bald eagle nest around here, yet that is exactly
what happened to Ellie and Roald Kirby of Blue Ridge Discovery Center as they
paddled down a quiet section of the New River one recent lazy afternoon.
“On May 3, my husband Roald and I were floating down the New River in a canoe,”
Ellie Kirby said. “As we were enjoying the peaceful serenity of the water and
admiring the lush greens of early spring, we saw a bird soaring above the
river. At first we thought it might be a vulture, which are so common here, but
then we saw its white head and knew it was a bald eagle.
“Another eagle came gliding near the first. The pair didn’t fly very high, and
soon one of them perched in a hillside tree. As we wondered why they didn’t fly
away, we happened to glance at an island on the other side of the river and saw
a big nest in the top of a large sycamore tree.”
The Kirbys floated down below the tree to get a better view, “and to our
delight, standing there in the nest was a large, all-dark bird that had to be a
baby eagle! We back-paddled a little and spent a few moments taking photos,
then moved on down the river. We didn’t linger because the parents seemed
perturbed at our presence, and we didn’t want to cause any more distress to
this eagle family.”
A Historic Find
From Virginia Society of Ornithology records research and conversations with
wildlife officers, the Blue Ridge Discovery Center has concluded that this is
the first documented active bald eagle nest in Grayson County for 100 years.
Reports indicate that bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) also have been
nesting below Byllesby and Buck dams along the New River in Carroll County.
Eagles also have been seen soaring over the New River near Fries recently.
In general, the increase in bald eagle sightings in Grayson has concentrated
along the New, from Fries to Mouth of Wilson. This resurgence points directly
to a renewal of healthy populations and the success of conservation efforts.
“The newly-discovered eagle nest in Grayson County is a welcome sign of the
recovery of our bald eagle population, nearly lost from the widespread use of
DDT [an insecticide] over 50 years ago,” said Allen Boynton, formerly with the
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and now employed by the North
Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
The nest was discovered in a somewhat remote section of the New, with a cattle
farm on one side and a steep forested slope on the other. Grayson County
contains 442.18 square miles, many moderately rugged in topography. With a
population of 15,093, that comes to 35.1 persons/square mile. According to the
2014 census, Virginia’s average square mile population is 202.6. In other
words, Grayson contains a considerable amount of wilderness areas, private,
state and national.
Combine that with extensive cattle grazing lands, and a picture of viable
habitat for the bald eagles emerges.
“Every trip outdoors holds an opportunity for discovery, but a trip down the
New River always seems to be teeming with wildlife,” said Aaron Floyd of Blue
Ridge Discovery Center. “This is a landmark discovery many of us have been
looking forward to for years.”
Without the parents flying around, hardly a soul would think to wonder about
the presence of a nest.
Scott Jackson-Ricketts of the Blue Ridge Discovery Center said the center is in
debt to the Kirbys for their sharp observational skills. “Through the hard work
of birders and other outdoor enthusiasts, it was only a matter of time for
this, the first definitive documentation of an active eagle nest, to come to
our attention.”
The nest will be documented through the Virginia Department of Game and Inland
Fisheries, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the
Center for Conservation Biology. The Virginia Society of Ornithology has also
been contacted.
Eagles on the Rise
In her book “Silent Spring,” Rachel Carson documented the dangers of the
pesticide DDT, which was banned for use in the U.S. in 1972.
One dramatic outcome of the buildup of DDT in the food chain is the thinning of
bird shells, especially those of birds that eat fish. The thin shells cannot
support the weight of incubating parents.
From 1950 until 1971, the bald eagle’s population plummeted, along with other
bird species such as the osprey and peregrine falcon. Only after DDT was
banned, and slowly over the course of 30 years, were populations returning to
viable numbers and showing signs of stabilization.
In Virginia, from 1972 to 1977, the count on breeding bald eagle pairs came to
33, with 32 restricted to the coastal area. In 1986, records show 66 breeding
pairs, and by 2001, 330 pairs. There are now more than 11,000 nesting pairs in
the continental U.S. and the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species
list in 2007.
They still have protection thanks to the Bald & Golden Eagle Protection Act of
1940. “American Eagle Day” celebrates this iconic bird on June 20 — the day
America added the bald eagle as the main image in its national emblem in 1782.
Jim Keighton is compiler of the Mahogany Rock Hawk Count for Blue Ridge Birders
and the Hawk Migration Association of North America. He said that for all the
years the count has been conducted — from 1986-2014, minus 2011 when the Blue
Ridge Parkway was closed — an average of 14 bald eagles a year have passed
along or over the Blue Ridge at the Mahogany Rock Overlook at Milepost 235 on
the parkway.
“What is particularly significant is the change in yearly count numbers of bald
eagles over this 28-year count period,” Keighton said. For the first 10 years
of the count the average number of Bald Eagles was only 2.3, with zero or one
eagle passing each year for the first six years. The yearly average for the
second 10-year period was 8.4, and for the latest eight years the average was
18.
“The change in this yearly average demonstrates the dramatic recovery of bald
eagles from the persecution of pesticides, shooting and habitat loss eagles
experienced for most of the 20th Century,” Keighton said.
Eagle Life
In the mountains of Virginia, the bald eagle is labeled as an uncommon
transient, winter visitor, rare in summer, more often seen in the fall
migration event.
According to the Virginia Society of Ornithology’s 4th edition of Virginia
Birdlife, recent breeding records have been documented at Lake Moomaw, and
Rockbridge and Shenandoah counties. The Center for Conservation Biology has
documented Virginia nesting pairs below Claytor Lake, along the New River in
Narrows, in Burkes Garden and on the banks of Watauga Lake.
Preferred bald eagle nesting sites are situated near water, especially coastal,
marshes, rivers, large lakes and spillways. They build substantial stick nests,
lined with finer materials, in a tall tree with a major fork, often in an open
area.
Bald eagles hold the world record for the largest bird nest, with one in
Florida measuring 6.1 meters deep, 2.9 meters wide, and weighing in at almost
three tons.
A single nest can be used for 35 years. They show nest fidelity, adding to it
over the course of many years. Adult pairs show similar fidelity, with
well-recognized long-term bonding.
At one brood per year, they lay from one to three eggs. The smaller hatchling
usually perishes.
It takes a full four years for the young to mature into the white head and tail
molt. The bald eagle diet mainly consists of fish, but other birds and small
mammals will do in a pinch. They are also known to indulge in scavenging
carrion and stealing food from other birds, especially the osprey.
• Have you spotted bald eagles or other wildlife in the Twin Counties? Share
your photos with us by emailing to editor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
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