Eagle population prospers

RIVER VALLEY — Nest monitoring observations this year show overall success in the survival of young eagles to fledging age, continuing the recent trend. Jan Lokuta, a volunteer at the Eagle Institute, noted that eagles this year fledged from three nests in Lackawaxen, from two nests in Tusten and from two nests in Callicoon. Ten active nests were noted from Hancock to Mill Rift. In all of Pennsylvania, the number of nests has risen from only three in 1967 to about 100 now.

Several new nests were discovered in both New York and Pennsylvania. Four young eagles who had been equipped with radio tracking transmitters have all survived their first winter, and the signal from one has been picked up several times along the Delaware River.

There were also a few setbacks. A nest failure was observed when the adults abandoned the nest during incubation about a week before the eggs were due to hatch. The reason for the abandonment could have been a human disturbance or a nest invasion by an immature eagle, who have been known to try to enter nests and kill eggs or young. Several such immature birds had been seen in the area of this nest.

In another nest in New York failure resulted due to unfertilized eggs.

Even with the failures, however, Lokuta believes that the numbers of fledged birds this year is up from last year.