Eagle numbers up here, in state

CELINA - The number of bald eagle nests in Ohio soared from 707 to 964 in a five-year period, reflecting an increase of 36% in what state officials are hailing as a milestone in conservation efforts.

In fact, the 2025 bald eagle nest census shows that the state's eagle population "is resilient and thriving," Laura Kearns, a wildlife biologist with Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, said in a news release.

From 2020 to 2025, the number of bald eagle nests rose from four to seven in Auglaize County, one to two in Darke County, 16 to 19 in Mercer County and two to three in Van Wert County, the 2025 census shows.

Active nests were defined as those with an incubating eagle, eggs or eaglets present. ODNR asserts that the latest nest census represents "the most complete picture possible of Ohio's breeding bald eagle population," given the high volume of nests.

"The bald eagle is one of Ohio's great conservation success stories," ODNR Director Mary Mertz said in a statement. "The eagle's remarkable comeback over the last few decades, both in Ohio and nationwide, proves how much we can accomplish when we conserve and protect habitat."

The 2025 bald eagle nest census was completed with the assistance of over 1,800 reports from citizen scientists. Division of Wildlife officials followed up on the reports and confirmed nest locations in 87 of Ohio's 88 counties, the release indicates.

According to ODNR, bald eagles prosper in areas with wetland habitat. So it should come as no surprise that Mercer County, home to the 13,500-acre Grand Lake, is among the 13 counties with the highest numbers of nests.

Ottawa County comes in at No. 1 with 112 bald eagle nests. Located in northwest Ohio, Ottawa County boast 94 miles of combined Lake Erie and Sandusky Bay shore, according to the State of Ohio Asset Management Handbook.

Mercer County ties with Coshocton, Knox and Licking counties at 19 bald eagle nests.

Other features of areas with high numbers of bald eagle nests include large rivers and large lakes or reservoirs.

"There's no question that the lake is a huge food source for them," Grand Lake St. Marys State Park Director Dave Faler told The Daily Standard. "They tend to stay around water. One of their main food sources is fish. They are opportunistic, so they will eat roadkill, but if they've got their choice, they'll get fish before anything.

"You'll see them a lot of the time on rivers or next to stone quarries, and Mercer County has a lot of that. It has a lot of water. So it's a prime area for them."

They also tend to gravitate toward cottonwood trees, Faler pointed out.

Jill Bowers is a local eagle watcher who has monitored the local bald eagle population since 1996, including a lengthy volunteer stint with Ohio Division of Wildlife.

"There are good trees, and I think around the lake there's a nice habitat for them. That's what attracts them," Bowers said. "And of course, the water, for fish and food."

Back in 2012, Mercer County had three bald eagle nests and Auglaize County had none.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1978 listed the species as endangered throughout the lower 48 states, except in Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin, where it was designated threatened.

Ohio had a mere four nesting pairs of bald eagles in 1979.

Due to conservation efforts and added protections, the number of birds rebounded to such an extent the bald eagle was removed from the federal threatened and endangered species list in 2007, and from Ohio's list in 2012.

The two main factors that led to the recovery of the bald eagle were the banning of the pesticide DDT, which made egg shells too brittle to hatch, and habitat protection under the Endangered Species Act for nesting sites and important feeding and roost sites, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says.

"I think the biggest thing is the half-life on DDT has made it now so those eagles are able to reproduce and incubate," Faler told the newspaper. "Their eggs and their numbers are just growing."

ODNR did not identify the precise locations of the bald eagle nests. However, in the past, nests were confirmed at the 1,408-acre Mercer County Wildlife Management Area in Montezuma, one near Celina Lynx Golf Club, and others at Behm's Landing, Aqua View Estates near Prairie Creek, the Wabash River and south of Menchhofer Woods.

"On the southwest side of the lake, right off (U.S) 127, there's a nest, and you can actually see ODOT's made a gravel pull-off area because there's a nest there on the east side of the road and people can see it from there (if) they have binoculars," Faler said. "That nest has been there for a long time, and there's another two of them as you go toward Celina on the east side of the road, too."

Hecht's Landing and Windy Point in Montezuma are excellent places to observe bald eagles, Dave Shaner of St. Marys, a self-taught, avid photographer who's been capturing images of Grand Lake wildlife, primarily bald eagles, for well over a decade, previously told the newspaper. So too is the stone pier near Boardwalk Grill along West Bank Road in Celina.

Both Faler and Bowers believe the eagles attract birdwatchers to the area.

The female lays one to three eggs in mid-February to late March, according to ODNR. The eggs usually incubate for 35 days, from February through April.

"I would say there's definitely more people coming to look at them then because they can see larger numbers," Faler said of the late winter, early spring period. "When they were here early, we were one of the few areas that had eagles, so it boosted tourism then."

Bowers said interest in bald eagles seems to wax and wane over the years, but added she's definitely seen an upswing of late.

"When I first started monitoring the eagle nests, there was a lot of interest, and then it died off, and now I think it's really coming back," she said. "There are a lot of local people that go out every morning or every afternoon and look for eagles - and the pelicans. The pelicans didn't hurt either. Then they tell their friends and everybody has to come and see the eagles."

ODNR stresses that bald eagles are protected under state law and the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, making it illegal to disturb the birds. ODNR asks that when viewing bald eagles to respect their space and stay at least 100 yards away.

"I would say the biggest thing is to stay away from the nests," Faler said when asked what it will take to further bolster local bald eagle numbers. "If the nest gets pressure, then there's a decent possibility that the eagles will tend to find a different area."