Bald Eagles and Middle Creek

Bald Eagles and Middle Creek. . , A wildlife recovery success story , Pennsylvania is enjoying an amazing resurgence of the bald eagle. From only three nesting pairs in the early 1980's, there are more than 275 active nesting pairs in the state as of 2017. Prior to the 1980's, bald eagle numbers declined from the use of pesticides (namely DDT), direct persecution, and habitat loss. Reintroduction efforts by the Pennsylvania Game Commission from 1983 to 1989 released 88 young eaglets imported from Saskatchewan and aided in the recovery of the species., General description: , The bald eagle weighs up to fourteen pounds with a wingspan of six to eight feet. The female is usually larger than the male. Bald eagles mature at five years of age at which time they will lose their mottled brown appearance and sport a plumage of solid brown on the body and their noticeable white feathered head and tail., At Middle Creek , Bald eagles have been nesting at Middle Creek since 1999 and feed on fish, waterfowl and carrion found around the lake. As you look around the lake, see if you can spot their nest! Make sure to keep your distance though! Eagles can abandon their nests if you get too close., What about their nests? , An eagle's nest or "eyrie" is made up of hundreds to thousands of pounds of sticks and leaves. Adult eagles will add to the nest each year. The nest averages about five feet wide by two feet high. Nesting pairs often return to the same nest year after year, adding new layers of sticks., For more information visit www.pgc.pa.gov