NH Audubon has been a leader in monitoring and management of New Hampshire’s Bald Eagle population since the 1980s. NH Audubon coordinated our state’s Midwinter Eagle Survey for 40 years from 1980 through 2020. When these one-day winter counts began, our volunteers typically found less than 5 individual eagles statewide. But during our final survey in 2020, we tallied over 100 eagles seen on the count for the first time! Over the years, we have also worked with land conservation groups to protect sensitive areas that eagles use as winter night roosts.
When Bald Eagles began to nest again in the Granite State in 1989 after a 40-yr hiatus, NH Audubon initiated management steps that increased the likelihood of breeding success. Our Conservation staff works with NH Fish & Game to advise private landowners on how best to manage eagle breeding sites on their property, installs metal predator guards on nest trees, and promotes reduced-disturbance buffer zones. We also work with wildlife rehabilitators and veterinary clinics to rehabilitate and release injured eagles back into the wild.
Currently, there are more than 100 territorial pairs of Bald Eagles in New Hampshire, and those numbers continue to rise. The Bald Eagle was removed from the federal Threatened and Endangered Species List in 2007, and from the New Hampshire T&E List in 2017. Volunteers can learn more about becoming involved in our ongoing monitoring and management efforts by contacting raptor specialist Chris Martin in the Conservation Department.
Project Leader: Chris Martin
NH Eagles Surpass 100 Breeding Territories! (NH Audubon Winter 2023-24 Afield)
Mid-winter Bald Eagle Survey Discontinued (New Hampshire Bird Records, Winter 2020-21)
NH Bald Eagle release and population recovery (NH Chronicle)
Influence of nesting Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) on Common Loon (Gaviea immer) occupancy and productivity in New Hampshire (The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 2019)
(by Chris Martin) In 2023, NH Audubon staff and field volunteers continued to track the robust resurgence of the Granite State’s Bald Eagle population. We confirmed 109 TERRITORIAL PAIRS in
(by Chris Martin) In the 1950s – 20 years prior to passage of the federal Endangered Species Act – people saw Bald Eagles in all the usual places; along major
(by Chris Martin) Bald Eagles continue to find new spots to set up breeding territories in the state. In 2022, NH Audubon staff and volunteers confirmed 92 territorial pairs, up
BREAKING NEWS: Just published early in 2022 – Two new scientific papers that raise concerns about the impact of lead (Pb) on eagles. (by Chris Martin) Both of these ecotoxicological
(by Chris Martin) The first shows what appears to be a 4 week old Red-tailed Hawk chick in the nest with an eight week old Bald Eagle chick (pictured above).
Photo (circle): Breeding pair in Manchester NH, by Grace Preston.
