Wildlife Bulletin No. 1

The Kittatinny Raptor Corridor Project

An Interstate Conservation Project Monitoring A Mountain's Vital Signs

Wildlife Information Center, Inc.

Slatington, Pa.

Bald Eagles In

The Kittatinny Raptor Corridor

The Kittatinny Ridge and its corridor crosses parts of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. It beings near New Paltz, New York, where the ridge is called the Shawangunk Range, continues across northwestern New Jersey, and continues southward to its termination northwest of Carlisle, Pa. This bulletin presents information about Bald Eagles, an endangered species that migrates along the Kittatinny Ridge and its corridor.

BALD EAGLE

(Haliaeetus leucocephalus )

Bald Eagles once were common, but now are scarce expect in Alaska and Canada. In 1782, the Bald Eagle was adopted as our national bird. Today it is protected, but endangered.

Males measure about 3 feet from head to tail, weigh 8-10 pounds, and have a wingspread of about 6.5 feet. Females are somewhat larger. The birds have pale eyes, a yellow bill, and powerful talons to capture prey such as fish. Adults develop a white head when 5 to 6 years old.

Bald Eagles pair for life, but if one dies the survivor accepts a new mate. Eagles migrate great distances, but return to nest within about 100 miles of where they were raised. They build huge stick nests in trees near rivers, lakes, or marshes. Nests are reused year after year.

Bald eagles lay 2 to 3 eggs which hatch after 35 days of incubation. Eaglets fly within 3 months and are on their own about a month later. About half survive the first year.

Fish is the most important food for BaldEagles.They also scavenge carrion, and in winter gather in some remote areas where fish or other prey is plentiful. During winter, when some Bald Eagles tend to concentrate along the Delaware River within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the National Park Service conducts public eagle viewing opportunities. These activities generally are announced in park area newspapers and on television.

After World War II, DDT pollution threatened Bald Eagle survival. The chemical prevented them from reproducing, and few eaglets were hatched. In 1972, DDT was banned in the United States and Bald Eagles began recovering their former numbers. The following graph documents changes from 1961-1992 in age ratios of Bald Eagles observed in autumn migrating past Bake Oven Knob, Lehigh County, Pa. -- a major Kittatinny Ridge hawk migration observatory.

Suggested Reading

Broley, Myrtle Jeanne

1952 Eagle Man: Charles L. Broley's Field Adventures with American Eagles. Pellegrini & Cudahy, Publishers, New York, N. Y.

Gerrard, Jon M. and Gary R. Bortolotti.

1988 The Bald Eagle/Haunts and Habits of a Wilderness Monarch. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D. C.

Heintzelman, Donald S.

1975 Autumn Hawk Flights: The Migrations in Eastern North America. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, N. J.

1986 The Migrations of Hawks. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Ind.

1990 The 1957-1989 Bake Oven Knob Pa., Autumn Hawk Migration Field Study: A 30 Year Review and Summary. American Hawkwatcher , 17: 1-16.

1992 Long Term Monitoring of Migrant Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Age Ratios and Their Use As Environmental Quality Indicators.American Hawkwatcher ,18:14-18.

Stalmaster, Mark

1987 The Bald Eagle. Universe Books, New York, N. Y.

Part of this bulletin is adapted from information sheets issued by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Issued: January 1993. The Kittatinny Raptor Corridor Educational Handbook . Copyright © 1993 by Wildlife Information Center, Inc. All rights reserved.