Majestic symbols of freedom

The eagles have nested.

Their wingspan stretches 7 feet across the pristine Northwest sky. A snowy white crown provides camouflage in winter, and dark brown feathers expand to become “shadow makers” shielding their nestlings from the summer sun.

They “pair bond” and every year through imprinting, sight fidelity and a sophisticated internal global positioning system they return to breed within the same 200 square meters.

They forage for a wide variety of food using powerful talons and meat-tearing beaks classifying them as necessary raptors and scavengers within the complex ecosystem.

Majestic. Stunning. Bold. The bald eagle is our symbol of freedom and of hope that a species, almost eradicated from the American panorama, can recover.

From 417 nesting pairs in 1963 to 9,789 today, the bald eagles have nested. Their recovery has been so complete that on June 28 the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list.

“They’ve reached their threshold,” Howard Ferguson, a wildlife biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Eastern Central District, said with a satisfied smile.

In 1995 the Spokane area had two nests. Today there are 12, including one in Liberty Lake and five along the Spokane River.

Steve Zender, a wildlife biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Colville District, estimates there are 45 nests in his area.

“It’s been exciting to see it grow from two nests,” Ferguson said. “Every spring you’re sort of waiting to see if you can find another nest in another line of the river.”

Some view the delisting with concern, but to wildlife biologists this is a long-awaited moment in preservation history.

In the early 19th century, bald eagles feasted and flourished along the Columbia River. A gradual influx of settlers invaded their habitat and hunted the bird. But the most damaging element of the species’ decline was DDT, a pesticide sprayed throughout the United States from 1940 through 1972, when it was banned.

In 1967, the bald eagle was placed on the endangered species list and its recovery became a national effort. Forty years later, it overcame pesticides, power lines, human ignorance, habitat erosion and hunters, and its recovery is a national victory. But many wonder for how long.

“They will do well if we continue to protect them from direct mortalities, have reasonable nesting, roosting and perching habitat in place and maintain healthy lake and river ecosystems that provide abundant fishery for them,” Zender said. “If we want to stay recovered, we will have to maintain those habitats.”

“They’re off the Endangered Species Act,” Ferguson said, “but they’re still considered ‘threatened’ (likely to become endangered) under state law.”

Ferguson cites two Washington state laws that remain in force – the Bald Eagle Protection Act that defines buffer zones around nests and roost sites and the Bald Eagle Management Plan, a habitat agreement between the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and landowners to ensure minimal impact on the bald eagles and reasonable land use for the owner.

The federal government isn’t loosening the “threatened” reins either. The Federal Migratory Bird Act Treaty and the Bald and Golden Eagle Treaty Act continue to protect migratory birds and their nests from being captured, molested, hurt or disturbed, but the enforcement of these acts depends on people. “The public is often our eyes,” Ferguson said.

Both Ferguson and Zender state their dealings with landowners have been positive. “They’re pretty proud of having a bird on their property,” said Ferguson. “Like other forms of wildlife, people often adopt the feature or wildlife there. They become our bald eagle.”

Zender agrees. “It has actually been a pleasure in nearly all cases for me. People really do admire and respect eagles.”

Still, there are frustrations when conflicts and compromises are difficult or when “there’s political pressure to develop an area extremely rich in wildlife,” said Ferguson. “Studies have shown that wildlife likes the same areas we do.”

The recovery has been a shared one. Not only have humans learned and adapted to the eagles but they have adapted to us. “Some eagles are city birds, meaning they’re more tolerant of people because they’ve become accustomed to it,” said Ferguson. “Country birds are more sensitive to disturbance, loud and unusual noises.”

Although Western Washington’s abundant waterways and food attract high concentrations of raptors, Eastern Washington is in their flight path and fast becoming a haven for them.

“We have some of the highest numbers of winter raptors in the United States,” Ferguson said. “We get the eagles, the golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, and rough-legged hawks by the hundreds. Some stay year-round unless there’s a bad winter here.”

As with all wildlife, raptors have a specific job: culling animals that might spread disease to other animals. “We’re not aware of all that they do, but they play an important role because that maintains the health of the herd that they’re preying on,” Ferguson said.

In August the biologists begin canvassing their territories looking for new additions to Washington’s forests. “I do a bean count,” said Ferguson. And during their bean counting Zender states they “find several new nests each year.”

“This is a good example that, at least in my experience, people were willing to work to save that bird,” Ferguson said. “It’s an appealing bird and very beautiful, so that’s helped. Whereas, if we have an endangered shrew or a fairy shrimp, it’s a little harder to get people’s backing.”

“Bald eagles are only a small portion of the diverse wildlife,” said Zender. “The web of life is so complex.”

“We have to realize that they are all important,” Ferguson said.