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	Eagles in 2002

Breeding Eagles: Disappointing Sequel to 2001

by Chris Martin,  Senior Biologist

One year ago, Bald Eagles in New Hampshire reached a record level of breeding success not seen in the state in well over half a century. During 2001, eight eagle pairs held territories, seven pairs built nests, and four pairs were successful, producing a total of six fledged young. As the 2002 breeding season approached, New Hampshire eagle-watchers had understandably high hopes that eagles might build on the previous year's remarkable success, but it was simply not to be. There were seven territorial pairs of Bald Eagles in the Granite State in 2002, and six pairs built nests, but only one pair was successful, producing just one fledged chick. Wind, snow, and predators all played roles in diminishing the potential for another highly productive breeding season, according to observations made by Audubon staff and volunteers, biologists from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the general public. Highlights from the 2002 breeding season are listed below, starting with the state's only successful nest, followed by the other pairs that laid eggs, and then the non-nesting pairs. Umbagog Lake South (Errol) - Fledged one young. Biologists work carefully with the State's only young eagle produced in 2002. Photo by Chris Martin This territory was productive for the third straight year. For the second year in a row, the pair raised a single chick in a former Osprey nesting tree located on the New Hampshire side of the state line with Maine, on land managed by the Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge. This year, the adult male was unbanded and the adult female had a blue band on her right leg and a silver band on her left leg. In mid-June, a group of biologists affiliated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Hampshire Fish and Game, BioDiversity Research Institute, Florida Power and Light, and Audubon banded the six-week-old chick and obtained a blood sample to test for mercury. Pontook Reservoir (Dummer) - Failed at hatching time. This pair abandoned their nest, which was located in a white pine overlooking the Magill Bay section of the Androscoggin River, at a point in early May when hatching should have taken place. Weather conditions at the time included unseasonably cold temperatures and accumulating snow on the nest. We were not able to obtain any detailed information about the identities of either of the adult eagles this year. Vernon Dam (Hinsdale) - one young died after hatch. Adult female eagle "W30" flies past remnants of her wind-damaged nest at Stebbins Island Photo by Chris Martin Three-week old eaglet found beneath its fallen nest at Stebbins Island Photo by Chris Martin After hatching at least one chick by April 12 (a record-early hatch date for an eagle nest in New Hampshire), a day of sustained 45 mph winds with higher gusts on May 3 ended this pair's 2002 breeding attempt. The force of the wind on the massive nest, in a cottonwood tree located on Stebbins Island, snapped a supporting branch, sending much of the nest and the three-week-old chick tumbling 85 feet to the ground. The chick, buried underneath the remains of the nest, was dead when I visited the site less than 48 hours later. Although their nesting attempt failed, we did finally manage to identify both adult eagles this year. The female is "W30," a nine-year-old bird from a Connecticut River nest in Northampton, Massachusetts. The adult male is apparently "WW," a nine-year-old bird from a nest at Barkhamsted Reservoir in Connecticut. Nubanusit Lake area (Hancock/ Nelson/Antrim) At least one young died after hatch. Breeding eagles on this territory in 2002 used their fourth different nesting tree in the past four years, but the result was the same... failure to fledge young. This year, the pair selected a hillside oak that was located about a quarter mile from Nubanusit Lake, but faced away from the lake. The pair apparently hatched at least one chick, but failed by early June. Although the local wildlife watcher who first discovered the location of the nest waited until this September to report her observations to New Hampshire Fish and Game and Audubon, her carefully recorded field notes confirmed the hatch and subsequent failure. Predation is suspected as the cause of the failure. During the 2002 nesting season, we also finally discovered this pair's unsuccessful 2001 nest, which was located in a white pine on the southeast side of Nubanusit Lake near Community Point. We were not able to learn anything about the identities of either member of the breeding pair this year. Merrimack River (Bedford) During the late winter months preceding the 2002 breeding season, a pair of adult eagles was working to enlarge and improve their nest on the banks of the Merrimack River in Bedford. Volunteer eagle-watchers again documented the nest-building process with notes and photographs. But, as was the case in 2001, the pair suddenly disappeared from the area in mid-March without laying any eggs in the nest. Both adults were unbanded, and we assume that they were the same eagles present at the nest site the year before. The unusual behavior and mixed signals that these birds have exhibited regarding their breeding intentions-building a nest and acting like a mated pair, but then apparently migrating out of the area just when egg-laying should be getting underway-has surprised and confused both raptor biologists and transportation planners alike. In addition, federal and state wetlands agencies have yet to issue their final decisions as to whether they will approve the permits required for the proposed Manchester Airport Access Road, which would include construction of a new bridge spanning the Merrimack River just downstream of the eagles' nest. Umbagog Lake North (Errol) Bill Hanson, Florida Power and Light Biologist, in the Umbagog South Eagle Nest Photo by Chris Martin Things were not business as usual in 2002 in the state's longest continuously occupied eagle breeding territory, which is located at the northern end of Umbagog Lake. While this territory had produced 16 young eagles during 13 consecutive active nesting attempts from 1989 to 2001, this year there was no documented evidence that the pair laid and incubated eggs. We were unable to obtain any detailed information about the identities of either of the adult eagles this year. Squam Lakes area (Holderness and three neighboring towns) For the third year in a row, a pair of adult and/or sub-adult eagles was in residence in the Squam Lakes area. These birds continue to favor the many islands clustered near the center of Squam Lake, but they were not seen in that area during April, when they should have been incubating eggs, if they had any. However, in mid-June, a biologist working for the Squam Lakes Association reported an accumulation of dead sticks in a pine tree located on Little Loon Island on Squam Lake, with an adult and a sub-adult eagle perched nearby.