Volunteers help monitor Ohio’s bald eagle population
AVON LAKE, Ohio — There are now more than 800 nesting pairs of bald eagles in Ohio, according to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
What You Need To Know
- Eagles were once endangered
- Ohio Division of Wildlife officials believe there are now more than 800 nesting pairs of bald eagles in Ohio
- Stars and Stripes are a pair of bonded eagles in Avon Lake
- Two eggs in the nest of Stars and Stripes have hatched
The once federally endangered birds have come a long way and experts said they are now thriving in the state.
It’s due in part to a lot of volunteers, like Cindy Duffala, who dedicate their time to monitoring the sky and watching the iconic birds.
On any day, Duffala may be found at a bald eagle nest in Avon Lake, watching over and taking pictures of a bonded pair of eagles named Stars and Stripes.
She has been monitoring this nest for years.
She said that since 2015, 17 eagles have fledged and 20 eggs were laid, not including three brand new eggs this season.
Two of the eggs hatched on the April 10 and April 11.
The new eaglets add to the growing number of bald eagles in Ohio.
Duffala continues to record their activities for the Facebook group she created called Avon Lake Bald Eagles Nest.
The page has nearly 4,500 dedicated followers.
“We have people all over the country, in the United States, and we have someone in the Netherlands,” Duffala said. “It’s basically just keeping the history of them. We are thankful that with the cameras, we were able to find out when the egg was laid, when it hatched, when it fledges, all of that kind of stuff.”
There is now at least one bald eagle’s nest in a majority of the counties in Ohio.
In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the bald eagle from the federal endangered species list.
More information about Stars and Stripes may be found in the Facebook group.
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