Bald eagles were recently spotted at not one, but two Metropolitan facilities -- Copper Basin Reservoir and Lake Mathews Reservoir.
A pair of eagles at Copper Basin has nested at the same location for several years, and successfully raised many eaglets in the reservoir. But after a year of nest failures due to competing wildlife, they’re back and thriving this year.
“We should see some eaglets running around soon” said O&M Tech
Russ Ingram
who closely monitors the nest. The pair, who are tagged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are originally from Alamo Lake in Arizona and have been in the area for about 15 years.
Landscape Maintenance Tech,
John Niedhamer
and Environmental Planning staff
Tania Asef
and
Malinda Stalvey
spotted a single bald eagle while conducting biological surveys at Lake Mathews.
Bald eagles have been known to inhabit the area around the lake, but a nest has not yet been located on Metropolitan property. Staff hopes to find one during their next survey. After nearly disappearing from most of the United States decades ago due to habitat destruction, illegal shooting and the contamination of its food sources, the bald eagle population now flourishes across the U.S. and was removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 2007.
Many thanks to
Russ Ingram
of Desert WSO,
John Niedhamer
and Environmental Planning staff,
Mike Melanson, Tania Asef
and
Malinda Stalvey
for observing and photographing the birds for this article.