The Alabama Bald Eagle Restoration Project

David Price  August 2007
 (with supporting information from Alabama State Parks)                  

As a young lad in the sixties, I grew up on a dirt road in rural northern Alabama. I was also fortunate enough to live one cotton field away from the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge and next to a Grandfather who scratched out a living farming 40 acres of cotton along with trapping and fishing to make ends meet. It was the trapping and fishing we did together most and instilled an early appreciation of wildlife. One sunny day I saw a hawk circling over a nearby field.  I eased along the field's edge and sat down to watch as nature was soon to take its course. Hidden in the tree line, I never knew if the hawk saw me. As I sat, there was a rustle in the grass. A rabbit, his eyes peered upward, focused on the hawk above. At each opportune moment the rabbit would take a couple of hops and wait motionless for the hawk to circle away. Soon he made a mad dash into the woods. I'm sure he never saw me, though he came within ten feet of where I sat. The rabbit eluded the hawk that day, but it was a nature lesson I've been fond of for many years.

As majestic as this high soaring hawk was, there was a bird of prey that had disappeared from Alabama's skies back in the 1950s as it had in so many states due to DDT poisoning. DDT was finally banned in 1972, but not before it erased the Bald Eagle from many of our skies. The Bald Eagle never made it back on its own. This great national symbol of pride had dwindled nationwide and there were no more nests to be found in my state - Alabama.

Birds - Bald Eagle NestIn 1984 the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources began a restoration program for the Bald Eagle. Over the next seven years - 91 juvenile Bald Eagles were released in six areas of the state. In 1991, two nests were spotted and the Bald Eagle started the long jouney back. The 2007 mid-winter survey indicated more than 100 nests. The increase in numbers has been remarkable and surpassed the recovery goals set by the program.

Wintering Bald Eagles migrate from northern states and Canada to spend their winter here, enjoying more moderate temperatures and ice free waters. Alabama has rewarded the birding community with places to observe these grand birds. The North Alabama Birding Trail offers 50 sites that are identified along highways and roads by signs embellished with a kingfisher logo. Lake Guntersville State Park is home to one of the largest Bald Eagle roosts in the state and offers guided excursions to see the birds as does Joe Wheeler State Park. In addition, there are road side vantage points in many areas for viewing. Or you may do as I have, look up while playing golf to see this magnificent bird floating over the course at Lake Guntersville State Park.

How to watch Bald Eagles:
      Arrive early (7 to 9 AM) or stay late (4 to 5 PM) when Eagles are flying to and from roosts
     Scan the tree line along riverbanks for Eagles sitting in tree tops
     Use Binoculars or Spotting Scopes to observe closely
     Photographers will need a telephoto lens
     Never approach a nest
     Observe all laws, rules and regulations governing the use of roads and public areas
Interesting Bald Eagle Facts
    Bald Eagles have a wingspan of seven to eight feet and can live up to 30 years
    The trademark white head and tail do not develope until about five years of age
    Bald Eagles can see prey from as far away as a mile and a half

Should you visit the state of Alabama make plans to see this grand symbol of America and be thankful for the anti pollution stand and recovery efforts that have brought the Bald Eagle back to this and many other states.  Guided tours as well as maps of viewing areas are available from the state parks.

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