Last updated: May 22, 2024
Article
Bald Eagles Return to Cuyahoga Valley
NPS/Jim Kaftan
Why Are Eagles Here?
The Cuyahoga Valley, with expansive, secluded wooded wetlands and rebounding fish populations, has become an ideal place for eagles to feed and nest. The great blue heronry in the Pinery Narrows was a natural choice for the eagles’ first nest location. Eagles prefer tall trees and pre-existing nests that they can expand. Bald eagles have been steadily increasing throughout the nation. In Ohio the greatest concentration occurs along western Lake Erie near Sandusky, from where eagles have been dispersing to new areas.
How Many Eaglets Hatched at Pinery Narrows?
Beginning in 2006, bald eagles built a nest in the Pinery Narrows area in Brecksville, the first recorded in Cuyahoga Valley. That nest was unsuccessful, but the breeding eagles returned and nested the following years with these results:
| Year | Nesting Results | Cumulative Total: Number of Eaglets Fledged |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The first tree was too small and nest blew down. | - |
| 2007 | One eaglet successfully hatched and fledged. | 1 |
| 2008 | One eaglet successfully hatched and fledged. | 2 |
| 2009 | A late winter storm in February caused the nest to fail. | - |
| 2010 | Two eaglets successfully hatched and fledged. | 4 |
| 2011 | A storm in early March blew down the entire nest tree; another nest was started but no eggs hatched. | - |
| 2012 | One eaglet successfully hatched and fledged. | 5 |
| 2013 | Two eaglets successfully hatched and fledged. | 7 |
| 2014 | Two eaglets successfully hatched and fledged. | 9 |
| 2015 | The nest failed for unknown reasons. | - |
| 2016 | Three eaglets successfully hatched and fledged. | 12 |
| 2017 | Two eaglets successfully hatched and fledged. | 14 |
| 2018 | One eaglet successfully hatched and fledged. | 15 |
| 2019 | One eaglet successfully hatched and fledged. | 16 |
| 2020 | One eaglet successfully hatched and fledged. | 17 |
| 2021 | The nest failed for unknown reasons. | - |
| 2022 | The nest failed, maybe due to increased competition between eagles. | - |
| 2023 | Two eaglets successfully hatched and fledged. | 19 |
| 2024 | Two eaglets successfully hatched. |
Continued Protection
The US Fish and Wildlife Service removed bald eagles from the list of Threatened and Endangered Species on August 9, 2007. In an amazing coincidence, this was about a month after the Cuyahoga Valley's first eaglet fledged. These birds are still protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Both federal laws prohibit taking, killing, selling, or otherwise harming eagles, their nests, or eggs.
Visit our Bald Eagles page to learn more.