Bald Eagles Expanding Range in California Channel Islands

Bald eagles have expanded their range in the California Channel Islands. Researchers have discovered a breeding pair of bald eagles on the San Clemente Island for the first time in over half a century.

The finding shows that bald eagles are back on five of the eight islands on the chain. These birds had vanished from the Channel Islands in the 1960s due to extensive DDT exposure.

"This news is very gratifying. I expect to see bald eagles return to all eight of the Channel Islands within a few years which will mark yet another milestone in their successful recovery," Peter Sharpe with the Institute for Wildlife Studies, said in a news release.

"This is good news for the continued recovery of the ecosystem of the Channel Islands and the Navy's ongoing interest in protecting the environment," added Captain Christopher E. Sund, Commanding Officer of Naval Base Coronado.

Around 16 breeding pairs, along with 14 chicks, joined the population of the Channel Islands eagles this year.

Conservationists haven't found any chicks in the San Clemente Island nest. However, they are happy that eagles are expanding their territory.

The female in the nesting pair at the San Clemente Island is a ten-year old eagle called A-32. The female was hatched in a nest in Juneau, Alaska in 2004. The male is seven years old and is called K-76. He was hatched in an artificial incubation facility on the Santa Catalina Island.

According to officials, around 61 eagles were released between 2002 and 2006 in the northern Channel Islands as part of conservation program.

Additionally, bald eagle populations in Pennsylvania have made a robust recovery in the past few years. Currently, about 250 active nests have been identified. Recently, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania live-streamed the hatching of bald eagle eggs in a nest in Hays, Penn.