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State Sees Bald Eagle Comeback

November 19, 2008 - PALMYRA -- The recent death of a bald eagle in local woods highlights how the bird has made a remarkable comeback from being an endangered species.

The eagle was found dead in a wetland area near Douglas Pond on Oct. 18, according to Game Warden Jared Herrick. Herrick initially believed that the eagle could have been shot and killed by someone, but that's not what happened.

The dead eagle was taken to the Avian Haven wild bird rehabilitation center in Freedom and the results of an X-ray image, called a radiograph, ruled out the possibility that the bird had been shot.

The bald eagle was a mature adult, probably at least 5 years old, according to Avian Haven.

Bald eagles have been listed as endangered or threatened in Maine since 1978, but that might soon change because the population is on the rise. In January, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is expected to recommend the removal of the bald eagle from the state's endangered and threatened species list, according to the department's Web site. The federal government already did so last year.

In the 1960s, there were fewer than 500 mating pairs of bald eagles left in the entire lower 48 states. In 1972, only 29 pairs of bald eagles lived in Maine.

Now, Maine is a stronghold for eagles, with an estimated 477 nesting pairs -- at least three-quarters of the Northeast population, according to the wildlife department.

Bald eagles typically live for up to 20 years and reach maturity around 4 or 5 years old.

BY SCOTT MONROE
Staff Writer, Kennebec Journal, 11/16/2008


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Regions: Bangor


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