Bald Eagles

NEWPORT, N.J. - In 1981, in a swampy no-man's-land in southern Cumberland County, experts spied New Jersey's only known pair of mated bald eagles and feared they might be its last. Now, state biologists are heralding a milestone: There are more than 100 pairs of American bald eagles nesting in the Garden State, according to data released last week by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Eighteen of the state's 21 counties have at least one active nest, officials report.

There may be no better place to celebrate the recent removal of bald eagles from the list of endangered and threatened species than Philadelphia. After an embattled 40-year effort, bald eagles have recovered from the disastrous trifecta that almost spelled their doom: DDT, habitat destruction, and over-hunting. Thanks to protection under the Endangered Species Act and the combined recovery efforts of federal, state, and local conservation organizations, there are now almost 10,000 nesting pairs of eagles in the contiguous United States - a stunning increase from the 417 in 1963.

After 20 years of dogged work to reintroduce DDT-decimated bald eagles, wildlife biologists in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have had some major successes, although this was not a landmark year. Five new nesting pairs were reported in each state this spring, a decline for both. Bald eagles like to build nests in hard-to-reach places, and are sensitive to disturbances (particularly from people) and extreme weather. The decline was attributed to both factors. "It's been kind of a tough year for eagles, but they're holding their own," said Dan Brauning, the biologist who oversees the Pennsylvania Game Commission's eagle and falcon programs.

The New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife says its efforts to increase the number of bald eagles in the state are reaping benefits. Officials said 96 eagles were counted during the agency's annual winter survey, 22 more than were observed last year. The survey was conducted on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 by volunteer bird enthusiasts on behalf of the division's Endangered and Non-Game Species Program. Larry Niles, the program's chief, said that the survey focused on areas known to have eagle populations in winter and that the count represents eagles actually seen by the volunteers.

Over the chilly gray waters of the Mississippi River, a bald eagle rides the brisk currents of rising air in huge, lazy circles. As it turns against the dark trees, the broad white tail and snowy head of America's symbol are clearly visible. This eagle, seemingly soaring for sport on an increasingly nasty late-autumn day, is part of a glowing ecological success story in Iowa. Bald eagles remain an endangered species here, but that is changing: In recent years the birds have returned to nest at a rate far greater than wildlife biologists once thought possible.

At 7:23 yesterday morning, Shirley and Paul Lamson parked their truck on the side of a narrow country road and waited in the bitter cold for the bald eagles to appear. For more than three years, the couple has kept watch over an eagle's nest high atop a tree along Horne Run. The Lamsons are devoted to the male and female who live in the nest, and drive more than 20 miles from their Gloucester County home several times each week to see them. As the orange sun rose from behind a clump of trees, the eagles became visible as they perched in their nest, basking in dawn's early light.

A survey in January counted 178 bald eagles in New Jersey, a record for modern times and another indication of the bird's population rebound, the state said yesterday. In releasing the results of the annual midwinter survey, Environmental Commissioner Bradley Campbell credited the protection of bald-eagle nests to the work of volunteers who monitor them for state wildlife biologists. "Despite its continued endangered status, the bald eagle is one of New Jersey's great success stories in endangered-species protection and management," Campbell said.

Bald eagles - the first to nest in the city in 200 years - still soar over the Navy Yard site where both the port and the Philadelphia Regional Produce Market have rival plans to build massive new facilities. All work toward beginning construction of the produce terminal this summer has stopped. Gov. Rendell's press office would say only that "planning is now focused on the eagles, which will impact any project on the east end of the Navy Yard. " While the eagles may have halted the bulldozers, they have not stopped the debate over where the produce market should go. Thomas J. Holt Jr., who with his brothers runs the port's largest terminals, wants the governor to get everybody into a room behind closed doors to figure out how to expand the port and meet the produce market's needs.

It took more than an hour tromping through mosquito- and tick-infested woods along the Delaware River in Gloucester County, and a trip 60 feet up a tree, to get Elmer Clegg his big payoff. Clegg is a volunteer eagle's nest monitor for the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, and this month he did something he had never done in a dozen years of watching: He cradled a bird that had hatched in one of his nests. And not just one new bald eagle, but two - a brother and a sister that Clegg's wife, Bunny, had named Duke and Daisy without knowing their sexes.

I gazed in quiet marvel at the cold, opaline face of this mighty, magnificent plateau of ice. Hundreds of passengers, bundled in parkas or draped in wool blankets, lined the decks of the Mercury cruise liner to witness the wonder, six miles wide and 500 feet high. My husband and I took turns on deck, the other staying in the cabin with our nearly 2-year-old son. He didn't care for the stiff wind and chilly temperatures. On deck, I found the sight spellbinding. Long ago, this vast expanse of ice elbowed its way between the black mountain peaks and then dipped its ancient, sculpted face into this water.

OAKWOOD, Md. - With its intimidating powerhouse and forbidding arsenal of steel, concrete, and cables, the Conowingo Dam isn't on anyone's list of natural attractions. But right now, it is one of the most attractive venues in the country for the once-endangered American bald eagle. On their way south, the majestic birds with their distinctive white heads and tails are congregating at the dam, about 10 miles south of the Pennsylvania border along the Susquehanna River, where they will spend the next few months.

Soon after workers finished creating scenic trails along the Delaware, Delanco's town lawyer received surprising news: The state agency that usually champions such projects was seeking a court order to stop it. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, a vast agency that advocates for nature and open space, was fulfilling its less-popular duty of selecting places to deposit the river's murky dredge spoils. Delanco's new park was a designated dump. The river needs periodic dredging to improve navigation, and the DEP's site selection for spoil deposits often leads to clashes with affected towns.

The bald eagle was lying on its back in a pool of blood in, of all places, a Broomall parking lot. Joe Simmonds, the maintenance man at Congregation Beth El-Ner Tamid, spotted its dark form as he emptied trash into a Dumpster. He put a traffic cone by the huge bird so no one would run over it, and he called 911. The bird was breathing. It was alive, just barely. Wildlife officials trying to coax it back to health now think the male eagle was beset by a triple dose of misfortune.

NEWPORT, N.J. - In 1981, in a swampy no-man's-land in southern Cumberland County, experts spied New Jersey's only known pair of mated bald eagles and feared they might be its last. Now, state biologists are heralding a milestone: There are more than 100 pairs of American bald eagles nesting in the Garden State, according to data released last week by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Eighteen of the state's 21 counties have at least one active nest, officials report.

  Kate Dellinger poured in 31 points for Widener as the Pride (5-3) grabbed a 78-70 win over Eastern (6-2) in St. Davids on Saturday. Meghan Nowak had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Eagles. Ursinus 68, Dickinson 61 - Lindsay Teuber (St. Basil's) and Alli Rosati (Central Bucks East) each had 15 points as the Bears (4-4, 3-2 Centennial) beat the Red Devils (1-9, 1-4) in Collegeville. Clarion 68, Cheyney 45 - Ann Deibert had 15 points to lift the Eagles (2-6, 2-4 PSAC)

It happened again. There has been another big-cat sighting in Delaware County. On Monday, Folcroft Borough police received a call about a bobcat running through a neighborhood. "Upon arrival, the animal was gone," Folcroft Police Chief Robert Ruskowski said. Is it the power of suggestion that keeps the calls coming? Or could there be a bobcat? "It is very, very possible," said Gary Stolz, manager at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. "They are native here.

NEW JERSEY Gator in Blackwood Alligators are not exactly indigenous to South Jersey, but one was spotted - and detained - yesterday behind apartments on Lower Landing Road, in Blackwood. The 2-foot reptile was seen by a resident of the apartments who managed to grab it by the tail and tape its mouth so that it couldn't bite anyone. Gloucester Township cops arrived and got in touch with the Department of Environmental Protection. Officials turned the reptile over to the Independent Animal Control agency, which transported the alligator to a safer location.

For the first time since eagles were almost a thing of the past in Pennsylvania, their nests have topped 200. So far this year, 203 bald eagle nests - in 50 counties - have been recorded in the state, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reports. As recently as 1983, the state had only three nests, all in Crawford County in the state's northwest corner. "The bald eagle's comeback is nothing short of remarkable," Carl G. Roe, the Game Commission's executive director, said in a news release.