• Home
  • News
  • Iowa DNR Seeking Assistance In Monitoring Bald Eagle Nests

Iowa DNR Seeking Assistance In Monitoring Bald Eagle Nests

January 22, 2024 Steve Schwaller

(Undated)– Iowa wildlife officials are asking outdoor enthusiasts to cast a birds-eye view on bald eagle nests to help track their health. There are between 7-hundred and 8-hundred eagle nests in Iowa, thanks in large part to protections from the Endangered Species Act, a federal law that just turned 50.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Stephanie Shepherd says the state is using volunteer eagle watchers to monitor the health and progress of the nesting eagles, and focus on one key metric…

“There needs to at least be an average of one young fledged per nest for that to be signaling a healthy population. If it starts to drop below that threshold, then we know that it’s a warning sign that something might not be right with the population.”

Shepherd says volunteers are an integral part of helping the D-N-R get an official bald eagle nest count in Iowa. The monitoring duties begin early next month.

(Courtesy Iowa News Service)