The Majestic Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
According to the Southern Ontario Bald Eagle Monitoring Project, the population of these birds in the Great Lakes area prior to the arrival of European settlers, could have been as high as one nest per mile along the lake Erie shoreline in some areas. Due to loss of nesting and hunting habitat because of the clearing of land for farming and direct human predation, the numbers declined dramatically in the early 1900's. Protective legislation was introduced in 1890 and the Bald Eagle Act in 1940 and these helped to set the stage for a recovery in their population.
The use of the pesticide DDT and pollution by PCB's almost led to the extinction of these beautiful birds, and in 1980 there were almost no chicks surviving in the three remaining active nests along the Lake Erie shore in Southern Ontario.
Since then, thanks to protection and active conservation, the populations have started to increase, and more and more young Eaglets are surviving to continue to spread and successfully breed. The Bald Eagle was declared a Provincially Endangered Species in Ontario in 1973, and still is.
In August 2008, I was privileged to see a pair of Bald Eagles gliding overhead while I was sitting in a parking lot in North London, Ontario. They were unmistakable as they flew gracefully overhead, with their dark body and white plumage on their heads and tails.
A pair has also been seen at Greenway Pollution Plant, London - click here for more information and pictures. In the photo above you can see one of the parent birds returning to the nest with a meal for her young eaglets. The nests, called "Aeries" are often large, averaging 1.5 to 2 meters across. The adult pair build a nest and over the following years, they add to it, making it bigger and bigger each season.
Usually, a pair begins the job of preparing the nest up to three months before the female starts to lay her eggs, and in some northern areas of Canada, they have been observed repairing and enlarging their nests at the end of the breeding season, ready for their return in the Spring when the nest may require minor repairs. Aeries are often built at the top of the tallest trees, which gives the birds the best view of the surrounding area, and often the nests are built close to water, as they catch fish for themselves and their young.
Do you have a story about a sighting of a Bald Eagle?Do you have a great story to tell? Please share it with our other readers! What Other Visitors Have SaidClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Bald Eagle sighting on White Lake - North of Lakefield
Bald Eagle sighting Huron County March 5, 2010
Bald Eagle sighting north of Primrose, Ontario.
Bald Eagle Spotted in Sarnia
Bald Eagles in London Ontario.
Bald Eagle on Big BALD Lake, Buckhorn, Ontario
Bald Eagles in Oxford County
Landons Bay, Lansdowne, Ontario
Bald Eagle at Greenway
Bald Eagle over Cambridge
Bald Eagle at Crowe River south of Marmora
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Bald Eagle at Healy Falls east of Peterborough
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Bald Eagles at "For the Birds" Bird Sanctuary
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Bald Eagles Brigden, Ontario
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Bald Eagle sighting in McGregor Ontario
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Bald Eagle sighting Fanshawe Park, London, Ontario
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Bald Eagle sighting in farm country!
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Late for work!
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Sighting on Stoney Lake near Lakefield
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On World's Longest Freshwater Beach
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Kilworth, Ontario
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Bald Eagle at Thames River, London
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Bald Eagle in Hanover, Ontario
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Bald Eagle sighting in Palmerston
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Bald Eagle sighted near Strathroy, Ontario
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Lake Erie Eagles
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Bald Eagle Sighting in Petrolia, Ontario
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Bald Eagle Cobden
Not rated yet Southern Ontario Bald Eagle Monitoring Project This site is rich with information about these birds, their habits, their habitat and also info about how to become a volunteer with this organization
Journey North - info on the Eagles
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I believe there is a breeding pair in the
