PORTLAND, Maine — Maine wildlife officials are conducting the largest statewide survey of bald eagles in the Pine Tree State in five years.
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologists and game warden pilots are conducting the survey of the iconic bird. It nearly disappeared from Maine in the 1970s, when there were only 39 pairs remaining. There were more than 634 nesting pairs in the state in 2013.
Anecdotal evidence suggests the eagles might have improved even more in the last five years, said Susan Gallo, a wildlife biologist with Maine Audubon.
Some defenders of another beloved Maine bird, the common loon, have expressed concern that more eagles could be bad for loons, but that is unlikely, Gallo said. Bald eagles and loons overlap in broad swaths of their range in the U.S. and Canada, and while eagles do prey on loons, the two can coexist, she said.
“They have to keep their eyes on their chicks,” Gallo said. “It’s certainly not going to be the end of loons because we have a healthy eagle population.”
The County is pleased to feature content from our sister company, Bangor Daily News. To read the rest of “Wildlife experts counting Maine’s eagle population,” an article by contributing BAP writer Patrick Whittle, please follow this link to the BDN online.
