Photo: Bald Eagle, Richard Hebhardt/Audubon Photography Awards
Tom Blackburn
Recently I spent three hours in Riverbend Park, stationed with a good view of the Bald Eagle nest across the river. I talked to visitors about eagles while they watched the adult and young birds through a telescope. The visitors peppered me with questions about the eagles, leading to discussions about birds in general and environmental issues such as pesticide use, habitat loss and climate change. I was struck by the power of charismatic species such as Bald Eagles to motivate people to become more engaged in protecting birds and the environment.
Bald Eagle, Richard Hebhardt/Audubon Photography Awards
Bald Eagles are one of the best examples of our ability to protect threatened species. A recent article on Bald Eagle populations by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology reports that in 1963 active Bald Eagle nests reached an all-time low of 417 in the lower 48 states. Pesticides, loss of habitat and illegal shooting were principal causes of the population decline. In 2020, the number of active nests rose to an astonishing 71,467, resulting from an average annual population growth of about 9% per year, compounded for 57 years. This dramatic rebound in the eagle population is largely due to the banning of pesticides such as DDT; the creation of eagle-friendly habitats such as the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge in southern Fairfax County; protection under the Endangered Species Act; and public education.
The successful restoration of the Bald Eagle population is in stark contrast to the experience of most bird species. Science Magazine’s Decline of the North American Avifauna documented the appalling loss of 2.9 billion birds – nearly one quarter of the population – in the last 50 years. The current population of 316,000 Bald Eagles is minuscule compared to the loss of 58 million birds each year for the last half-century.
Bird species that are less prominent and popular than Bald Eagles face similar survival challenges. While DDT has been banned, neonicotinoids and other insecticides have devastating impacts on birds by killing them when they eat the insects or depleting food sources critical to their survival. Habitat loss is a particularly acute problem for migrating birds, which depend on habitat in their summer and winter grounds and along the flyways between the two. Climate change is also a problem. The National Audubon Society warns in Survival by Degrees that 2/3 of North American bird species are threatened with extinction due to global warming.
Today’s challenge is to repeat the success story of the Bald Eagle by raising public awareness of the fragile state of our endangered birds and wildlife. Their survival – and ultimately our own species’ survival – depend on it.