Bald eagles spotted at Radnor Lake
Three American Bald Eagles arrived at Radnor Lake State Natural Area in April 2008. They fished at the lake until August before they moved on. The eagles, two adults and one juvenile, returned in April 2009 and are currently visiting the lake. They are usually seen perching in trees around the cove across from the Lake Trail observation deck.
Eagles tend to nest from January to early spring. As of now, a nest has not been found at Radnor Lake. The nest of a Bald Eagle is huge— ranging from 5 to 9 feet in diameter and often weighing close to a ton. Eagles will frequently use the same nest from year to year. If the tree falls or the nest is damaged by high winds, they will build a new nest in the same area.
Bald Eagles lay one to three speckled, off-white eggs. The eggs incubate for 35 days before they hatch. During this time, at least one of the parents stays at the nest to incubate and protect the eggs. Newly hatched eaglets are covered with a grayish-white down, and they cannot open their eyes. Astonishingly, within six weeks the eaglets are the same size as their parents!
Juvenile Bald Eagles are dark brown with black beaks and they are commonly mistaken for Golden Eagles. Bald Eagles do not start getting their trademark white head until they are four years old. At that time, the dark feathers start to molt and new white feathers replace them. Bald used to mean white, and so the eagle was named for the white feathers on its head.
The average size of a fully grown Bald Eagle is 27-35 inches tall with a wingspan of six to seven feet. Once fully grown, the male and female essentially look the same. One way to determine the sex is to examine the beak. Females have deeper beaks than males. Also, females are around 20% larger than males. Bald Eagles mate for life, although some do not breed every year. While mating, the male and female will lock talons in the air and whirl towards the ground, sometimes even falling to the ground. Bald Eagles can live up to 30 years in the wild, and some have lived longer in captivity.
The Bald Eagle became the US emblem in 1782. Eagle populations started decreasing, and in 1940 Congress passed The Bald Eagle Protection Act. An amendment added the Golden Eagle in 1962, and the law became The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Bald Eagles were further protected with The Endangered Species Act of 1973. In July of 1995, the US Fish and Wildlife Service upgraded the status of bald eagles in the lower 48 states to “threatened.” On June 28, 2007, the American Bald Eagle was taken off the endangered species list. They are still protected by The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and The Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits the “take, transport, sale, barter, trade, import and export, and possession of eagles, making it illegal for anyone except Native Americans to collect eagles and eagle parts, nests, or eggs without a permit”. Native Americans are able to possess these emblems which are traditional in their culture.
These laws also restrict the activities that can take place near Bald Eagles and their nests. So as not to disturb the 3 eagles visiting Radnor Lake, we have decided not to schedule any canoe floats at this time. The primary purpose of a Class II Natural Area is the protection of the natural resources. This underscores the importance of staying on the trails—and in this case off the water—in order to reduce human impact in the Natural Area.
We take great pleasure in knowing that Radnor Lake currently hosts these magnificent creatures, even if they are en route to other shores. We hope that you are delighted, too, and that you are fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of them while they are with us.
For more information on American Bald Eagles, please visit: