Bald eagles nesting in Georgia continue to see solid growth since avian influenza set back the bird’s hatchlings in 2022.
Annual surveys by the state Department of Natural Resources rated nest success for the national bird above average in most areas checked, according to survey leader Dr. Bob Sargent.
“The findings were even better than last year’s good results,” Sargent said. “That’s most encouraging when you consider the beating that nesting coastal eagle took in 2022 because of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.”
The 2024 survey focused on the northwest part of the state, which has fewer overall nests. DNR officials recorded 145 nest territories, with 116 of those deemed successful, fledging 178 eagles.
In 2023, Sargent documented 198 nest territories, 150 successful nests and 232 eagles fledged. But that survey included southwest Georgia – a massive area with nearly 100 nests – while this year’s pivoted to the northern half of the state, where nest density is lower.
The bald eagle has rebounded in Georgia and across the species’ range. Factors fueling that recovery include a U.S. ban on DDT use in 1972, habitat improvements after enactment of the federal Clean Water and Clean Air acts, protection through the Endangered Species Act, increased public awareness, restoration of local populations through release programs, and forest regrowth.
Following a steep decline in the eagle population in Georgia, the state went from no known successful nests during most of the 1970s to one in 1981, 48 by the turn of the century and more than 200 today.
DNR monitors eagle nesting by helicopter twice a year, splitting the state into five sections for surveys. The coast, epicenter of eagle nesting in Georgia, is surveyed annually. The other areas are checked at least every other year. Flights in January and February mark nests in use. Follow-ups in March and April help gauge how the nests fared.
The public is encouraged to report eagle nests the form available via https://georgiawildlife.com/bald-eagle, (478) 994-1438 or bob.sargent@dnr.ga.gov.
Such reports typically lead to the discovery of 10-15 new nests a year. (Tip: Osprey nests are sometimes confused with eagles. Learn more at https://georgiawildlife.com/bald-eagle.)
DNR works with landowners to help protect bald eagle nests on private property. Although delisted from the Endangered Species Act in 2007, eagles are protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and state law. In Georgia, the species is classified as threatened.
The conservation of bald eagles is supported in part by people who buy an eagle or monarch license plate or renew these or the older hummingbird designs. The tags cost only $25 more than a standard license plate and $19 of each purchase and $20 of each annual renewal goes to help conserve eagles and hundreds of other Georgia plant and animal species listed as species of conservation concern.