DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's wildlife agency is asking Ohioans to help count every bald eagle nest in the state to document the bird's presence.
Eagle watchers can submit sightings online through March 31, and also see updates of verified nests. Counting the birds and their nests is an opportunity to get outside and see eagles while providing a valuable conservation service, said Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Ohio hosted more than 350 nesting pairs of bald eagles last year, many of them on Lake Erie and near rivers and reservoirs, said Kendra Wecker, chief of the ODNR Division of Wildlife.
The bald eagle was removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 2007 and from Ohio's list in 2012, the same year Ohio last attempted a nest count.
The state's bald eagles typically lay eggs and incubate them in February and March, with young eagles leaving the nest about three months later.
