Natural Highlights: Active Bald Eagle Nest in Shelby County

We are delighted to report that an active Bald Eagle nest has been observed on protected Wolf River Conservancy property near the Wolf River in Shelby County.  We are not revealing the precise location to safeguard the family’s privacy and to protect both birds and people from harm.  It will suffice to say the eagles have chosen a spot which is difficult for people to access on private land near the Wolf River.

Not so long ago, Bald Eagles were absent from the Wolf River watershed, their numbers decimated by the effects of the pesticide DDT, hunting, and habitat loss. Although the 1940 Bald Eagle Protection Act had prohibited continued hunting of these large birds of prey because they were

already rare, their decline continued. By 1963, there were only 417 known nesting pairs in the lower 48. Nearing extinction, the Bald Eagle was listed as an endangered species under the 1967 Endangered Species Preservation Act.  

What followed is a true conservation success story.  In 1970, the first Earth Day in history gave birth to the modern environmental movement; by year’s end, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had been created. In 1972, because of its negative impact on a wide range of species including the Bald Eagle, the use of DDT was banned in the United States.  The Clean Water Act was also passed in 1972, providing regulations for many pollutants and protection for rivers, streams, and wetlands – the habitats preferred by Bald Eagles.  In 1973, the U.S. Endangered Species Act was passed with bipartisan support. In 1978, the Bald Eagle was listed as endangered throughout the lower 48 states, except for a few northern states where it was listed as threatened.  Wildlife professionals nationwide acted, launching captive breeding programs, protecting eagles and their nests, and reintroducing young eagles to the wild.

Since then, the Bald Eagle has made a dramatic comeback, so much so that it was removed from the Federal Endangered Species List in 2007.  In 2009, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated a population of 72,434 individuals, including 30,548 breeding pairs, in the lower 48 states. Estimates based on data from 2018 and 2019 total 316,700 individuals, including 71,467 breeding pairs. Though no longer a federally endangered species, Bald Eagles are still protected under the Migratory Bird Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which prohibit killing, selling, harassing or otherwise harming eagles, their nests, or eggs.

In Tennessee, the first wild Bald Eagle chick in 22 years hatched at a nest site in Dover in 1983.  Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), working with many passionate volunteers across the state, continued the fight to bring back the species to its former abundance – and now, over 40 years later, TWRA estimates a Tennessee Bald Eagle population of 300-500 birds, with 143 to 175 active nests. After an exceptionally long absence, Bald Eagles were first observed by paddlers on the Ghost River section of the Wolf River in 2007, and this year, 17 years later, we have an active nest in Shelby County.

It is amazing what people can do when they work together for a common goal!  The Wolf River Conservancy is proud to have protected the wetland habitat providing a home for a family of Bald Eagles right here in Shelby County, and for a wide array of other species, too. That is our land conservation mission at work. We hope our efforts lead to more and more Wolf River Bald Eagle nests in the future!

To learn more about Bald Eagles, please use these links:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/overview

https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife/birds/bald-eagle.html

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