The bald eagle population in Maine dwindled down to 21 nesting pairs in 1967 before conservation efforts helped bring the birds back.
Maine’s bald eagle population is continuing its surge back from the brink.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says a survey shows an increase of 16 percent in nesting pairs since the 2013 survey. The state says the total number of nesting pairs was 733, and the eagle population is growing in all parts of the state.
The bald eagle population in Maine dwindled down to 21 nesting pairs in 1967 before conservation efforts helped bring the birds back.
Maine’s endangered and threatened species coordinator, Charlie Todd, says Down East Maine continues to have the highest density of breeding eagles anywhere from Nova Scotia to the Chesapeake Bay.
The state removed bald eagles from its endangered and threatened list in 2009, 31 years after they were listed.