Idaho bald eagle nest monitoring: 2007 annual report

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Abstract:

After 40 years of protection under the Endangered Species Act, the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was officially removed from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife on 8 August 2007. This report summarizes the 2007 bald eagle nesting survey for Idaho in a year that represents a significant milestone in endangered species conservation. As in most previous years, the nesting population of bald eagles in Idaho increased in 2007 with 234 territories now known to be active. An additional 18 territoires are classified as "historical." More nests were monitored (n = 227) and more nests were occupied ( n = 199) than in any year previously reported. Eighteen previously undocumented nests were discovered. One hundred thirty-two nests successfully fledged a total of 219 young -- an increase from 2006 when 116 nests produced 187 young. Nest-site occupancy was high with 88% of known active territories being occupied. The number of young produced per successful nest (1.66 young/nest) and number of young produced per occupied nest (1.09) were similar to previous years, but higher than the low of 0.98 recorded in 2006. Failure rates (33% of occupied nests; n = 65) were also comparable to recent years, and slight lower than the high reported in 2006 (35% of occupied nests). Overall, ever increasing numbers of eagles in Idaho provide further evidence that the species is truly recovered. For 5 of the 10 bald eagle management zones in Idaho, current numbers of breeding pairs exceed those established as recovery population goals within the Pacific recovery region. For those bald eagle management zones that are wholly contained within Idaho (zones 15, 17, and 20), recovery goals have been exceeded in all cases, sometimes by as much as 110%.

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ANIMAL EF: HALIAEETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS;
ELECTRONIC FILE - ZOOLOGY: BIRDS